His Fallen Angel
by butterflyKISSU
Summary: When they were teens,they were madly in love.Sakura gave everthing she had to him.But he leaves her,not knowing the consequences that will happen because of it.He thought he was helping her,but now he must fix her.-I SUCK AT SUMMARIES!PLEASE R&R!-SxS
1. prologue

**Disclaimer: **This is a fan-made story (hence the name, FANfic), meaning that I don't own anything. I own the idea for "His Fallen Angel", but none of the characters in here or their personalities. Everything goes to the amazing authors, CLAMP.

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**His Fallen Angel:  
**_Prologue_

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The amber eyed boy groaned loudly, a name barely able to pass his lips. He slowed down his pace in thrusts as the girl below him screamed out in pleasure for the last time. He pulled out of her, much to her slow, rasping protests, and collapsed beside her, panting.

"That was..." the girl closed her eyes and trailed off, trying to regain her breath.

"...Amazing," the boy finished. He smiled to himself when he looked over to see her nod in response, feeling victorious over the situation. He turned over to his side and pulled the beautiful young woman close to his naked body, cradling her tired body into his own in a spooning position.

The young man kissed her shoulder, deeply inhaling her floral scent as he lightly ran his fingers along the cooling-off skin on her arm. She shuddered with his gentle touch and turned her head, opening her eyes to reveal large bottle-green eyes. The boy smirked and captured her lips in a passionate, lust-filled kiss, quickly sliding his tongue into her mouth and began setting a battle with her own tongue.

"I love you," he whispered in a husky voice against her lips when her finally pulled away for much needed air. "God, I love you so much my little blossom."

She smiled upon hearing his nickname for her pass his lips. She leaned up and kissed him gently on the lips, "I love you too, my wolf. My wonderful, gorgeous, sexy wolf."

The young man laughed slightly, "And you're my beautiful, alluring, sweet cherry blossom."

She smiled, and turned her head back down. She tangled her fingers in his that laid across her stomach and gently ran her thumb along his knuckles. She closed her eyes again, beginning to drift off to sleep, but managed to speak her thoughts before completely falling asleep, "I'll always love you."

"And I'll always love you, too," the boy smiled warmly and kissed the base of her neck by her shoulder. "I don't think I can love another like I love you. You're...everything to me."

"And you to me," she agreed. "And we'll always be together, right, Syaoran?"

"Always, Sakura," the young man also closed his eyes and snuggled closer to her, wrapping his other arm around her and lightly tightening his embrace with her in a comforting way. "Forever and always, my Sakura blossom."

**b.K.d  
**_(Six Years Later)_

The amber eyed man in his early twenties sighed heavily and leaned back in his large, comfy black-leather computer chair. He closed his eyes, exhausted, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was nearing midnight and he was still in his office, trying to figure out some paperwork.

Feeling a bit more awake, he opened his eyes and sat up straight again. He shuffled some papers in his hand and looked down at them, his eyebrows scrunching together like he was confused. Finally, he tossed them back onto the desk and sighed. It was hopeless, so why was he even trying? A small smiled crept across his lips; Oh right, because you need the job, he told himself. And he wasn't the type of man to ever back down from anything.

A small knock came from his opened doorway, making the man look up.

"Syaoran?"

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**Authors Note: **Sorry for the...err...somewhat graphic beginning. I swear I really do have a story/plot to this. It's not just another one of those pure-lemons with no story line. The ending of the lemon at the beginning is extremely important for this Fic. I hope you continue to read it, despite the beginning. I promise it has a plot-line to it!! And this is my first fanfic, so I'd love some feedback! Please and thank you.

XoX...Riva...XoX


	2. Chapter 1: Damage

**His Fallen Angel:  
**_Chapter One - Damage_

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The amber eyed man in his early twenties sighed heavily and leaned back in his large, comfy black-leather computer chair. He closed his eyes, exhausted, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was nearing midnight and he was still in his office, trying to figure out some paperwork.

Feeling a bit more awake, he opened his eyes and sat up straight again. He shuffled some papers in his hand and looked down at them, his eyebrows scrunching together like he was confused. Finally, he tossed them back onto the desk and sighed. It was hopeless, so why was he even trying? A small smiled crept across his lips; oh right, because you need the job, he told himself. And he wasn't the type of man to ever back down from anything.

A small knock came from his opened doorway, making the man look up. Standing in his doorway was a man about his age with midnight blue hair and dark matching eyes laid back behind a pair of large, round glasses.

"Syaoran?" The man stepped into the office and sighed. "Do you know how late it's getting? Why are you even still here?"

"I have to find something to help this guy," Syaoran told him then smiled warmly. "Thanks for helping me get this job Eriol. It really helped me out."

"Hey, no problem," Eriol smiled and walked over to Syaoran's long cherry-wood desk. He picked up the pile of papers and quickly skimmed over some of them. A moment later, he sighed sadly and began snickering. "Well, good luck with that. Seems like this guy had what was coming to him. It's too bad the boss put you on this case...I don't think you'll stand a chance in court against his wife."

"I know," Syaoran sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "His wife had every right to leave him in my opinion. He physically abused her and cheated on her. And she has evidence to prove it, too. But, as his lawyer, it's my job to testify for him. Well, try."

Eriol smiled, "Good sport, Syaoran."

"Why are you still here?" Syaoran asked him with a raised eyebrow. "I was sure everyone had already left."

"I was getting ready to leave when I saw your light on," Eriol admitted. He put the papers back down on the desk and watched curiously as Syaoran lightly fanned them out and began scanning over them again with his intense eyes. "Oi, Syaoran...why not take a break for tonight? You're getting tired, and like that you won't be able to find anything to help out the guy. The trial isn't for another two or three months anyway. Why don't we go and do something?"

Syaoran smirked and raised an eyebrow again, "You have anything in mind?"

Eriol smiled, a glint lighting up in his eyes, "Actually, yes."

**b.K.d**

"What the hell is this place, Hiiragizawa?!" Syaoran asked in an enraged tone as the two pulled up to the small building.

Eriol smirked, taking off his blazer and tie, then unbuttoning the top two buttons on his white shirt so that he looked somewhat casual. "Relax, it's just a bar."

"Just a bar?" Syaoran asked sarcastically as a girl walked past his passenger side window in nothing but a bra and very short shorts. The girl smiled at him and walked into the back door to the place. "_Just _a bar?"

Eriol gave a small laugh. "Just trust me, 'kay? This place is actually pretty good." He opened his door and walked over on the sidewalk. He waited by the door with a small smirk on his face for Syaoran.

Syaoran cursed slightly and also removed his blazer and tie. He got out of the car and joined Eriol by the door, who had a large smile on his face as if he was going to say 'I told you so', but of course, he knew better than to do that.

_Damn! _Syaoran cursed silently to himself as they walked into the building. Surely enough, it was a bar. But in the center of the room was a large stage with at least five metal poles. On each pole danced one or two extremely sexy looking girls. _Why did I leave the office?! _

"Told you it wasn't that bad," Eriol yelled to Syaoran over the loud music.

Syaoran groaned, _Whatever you say._ He didn't understand at all why Eriol had chosen a stip club out of all places to go. Didn't Eriol have a fiancé? Syaoran may have been gone from Japan for four years, but since when had his friend decided to visit these type of places?

They found a table at the back, and Syaoran quickly took a seat, hoping to god that no one would recognize him there. The last thing he needed was for his reputation to be ruined because he was seen at a whore house. Man, would the elders back in Hong Kong ever be on his back about that.

Eriol, on the other hand, decided against taking a seat. He looked quickly around the room, as if looking for someone or something. His eyes quickly lit up when he seemed to find what he was looking for. Not saying anything to Syaoran he quickly ran off toward the bar and began talking to a girl with shoulder length auburn hair. She was wearing an emerald strapless tube-top and a tight mini skirt that rode low on her hips. Eriol seemed to be pointing at their table, much to Syaoran's disgust, and began leading her toward Syaoran. Syaoran quickly looked away, silently cursing to Eriol, and pretended not to see them.

"We can still see you, you know," Eriol said smugly as he took the seat across from Syaoran.

The young woman stopped in front of Syaoran, and before he could say anything, she was straddling him and had her arms wrapped around his neck, making Syaoran look into her dull looking green eyes. Her eyes seemed sad and lonely, and immediately Syaoran felt sorry for the girl. She was so beautiful, so what was she doing in such a place?

"My friend Eriol here told me you needed some cheering up," she smiled, making Syaoran grimace. Why did that smile seem so off, as if it wasn't real and had been forced? "Tough day at work?"

"Uhh..." Syaoran struggled to say as the beauty carefully grounded herself against him, making his lose control for a split second. He shook his head and looked her in her sad eyes, "I don't know what Eriol here has told you, but I'm honestly not into this sort of thing."

"Oh?" The girl cocked her head to the side.

"Yes, sorry."

"Not even if I do this?" She asked. Before Syaoran could react, she had ground herself into him again and had taken his upper ear into her mouth. Teasingly, she began sucking on it then playfully biting him making Syaoran give a small gasp.

"I...uhh...no...ple-please..." Syaoran tried desperately to make complete sentences but quickly failed. Against his will, he gave a small groan of pleasure as she ran her delicate tongue along the contour of his ear.

"Oh, but you're body is telling me you're 'into' this sort of thing," she purred into his ear. "And all men give into Blossom eventually..." She pulled away and looked Syaoran in he eyes, her eyes dimming even more at seeing the lust beginning to cloud his eyes. "Tell me, do you want me?"

"I..." Syaoran blushed looked at Eriol for help. Eriol wasn't much help, and if anything, Syaoran wanted to open his mouth and ask him some questions but stopped when he looked into his blue eyes. He seemed sad, as if begging Syaoran to do or say something. But what, Syaoran didn't know. He looked back at the woman in his lap, "No...I don't."

"Lair," she hissed gently with a small smirk. She reached her hand down to his crotch and gently touched it, receiving a small gasp from Syaoran. "I can _feel _you, and you want me."

Syaoran was about to protest but quickly shut his mouth when her warm mouth engulfed his other ear. He seemed unable to say anything, and suddenly he felt like he was being whisked away, no matter on how little he wanted to go. All he could think about was how good her tongue was sliding over his ear. Then slowly, she began trailing hot, open mouth kisses down the side of his neck, making him shiver in anticipation. God, only one other woman could ever make him feel this way, but...

Suddenly, the woman stiffened. She pulled away and looked Syaoran straight in the eyes with large, horrified eyes. Syaoran saw this, and quickly felt his excitement reduce. He quickly felt sorry and confused for the girl.

"What's wrong?" He asked her gently.

"That birth mark behind your neck..." She jumped off his lap and stared down at him with wide, confused eyes. "Sy-Syaoran?!"

Syaoran's eyes narrowed with confused as he scanned over her face. Who was this girl and how did she know him? All too quickly, his eyes shot open when he saw a familiar light appear in the girls enchanting green eyes suddenly, but quickly disappear as if hiding something. He knew those eyes, the happy pair he had briefly seen, at least. And it was then that he, too, recognized her. "Sakura...? Sakura Kinomoto?"

She slowly nodded, "Wh-when did you come back to Japan?"

"A week ago," Syaoran admitted, then looked over to Eriol. "I graduated not too long ago and Eriol helped me get a job in the law firm he's working at."

Sakura sent Eriol an angry glare. She seemed to momentarily forget that the blue eyed man was even in the room. "And what is Syaoran doing here, Eriol?"

Eriol stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets. He took a step closer to them and looked longingly, sadly, toward Sakura. "Sakura, maybe if you two talked — ."

"I don't need help, Eriol," Sakura told him coldly. "I don't understand why you and Tomoyo keep pestering me. Just leave me alone...and leave _him_out of this."

This time it was Syaoran who was going to say something, hearing the unfamiliar bitterness in Sakura's usually angelic, soft voice. But when he opened his mouth to say something, Sakura shot him a glare, filled with hurt, confusion and anger. He closed his mouth, confused by her actions. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the unmistakable mist of tears glistening in her eyes. She must have realized this, too, because she quickly looked away and back to Eriol with resentment.

"Leave him out of this, Eriol," Sakura said darkly between clenched teeth. "And don't _ever _come back here." She looked over to Syaoran from the corner of her eyes, hoping he would miss it. "That goes for both of you."

Before Syaoran could respond, she took off toward the bar, leaving Syaoran with unanswered questions. She ran up to the bar, obviously trying to hide her true emotions with a smile and a small laugh as the owner pointed her to another man four tables from Syaoran. Sakura smiled — though Syaoran could easily tell it wasn't a genuine smile, her usual, beautiful smile — and walked over to him, swaying her hips seductively. She gently sat side-straddle on his lap, her arms around his neck. The man, looking to be in his early thirties, smirked and ran his fingers along the bare skin on her legs.

Syaoran felt a low growl erupt from his throat, and stood up angrily. Ready to march over there and snatch her back; demand answers, hold her close, make her be with him. The thought almost made him sick. All the years he had spent away with her, he had tried — though with failure — to forget about Sakura and try to convince himself what he did was completely for her. And all those years, he had tried to tell himself she wasn't his; she didn't belong to him. Which was true; it was always true. She _belonged_ to no one, since she wasn't some item off the shelf to buy. But still...he felt the need to snatch her away from the older man and fight for her.

The only thing that stopped him was the hand crashing down onto his shoulder, the owner's fingers digging into his skin. Syaoran turned to see Eriol holding him back, rage burning in his dark blue eyes.

"We need to talk," Eriol said angrily. He watched Syaoran's eyes dart back to Sakura, and heard the low growl in his throat again. Eriol dug his fingers deeper in to Syaoran's shoulder, and hissed: "_Now_."

The amber eyed man was reluctant to follow, and only did so when he felt the harsh tugging on his shoulder. Still, his eyes never left Sakura for a split second until they were out the door, her fake and unpleasant smile burned into his mind. Her smiled wasn't the same as four years ago. _**She**_wasn't the same as four years ago.

Eriol pushed Syaoran into his car, then jumped in himself and reeved up the engine. He sped down the street, back in the direction of the office firm. His hands gripped the steering wheel, turning his knuckles pinched white.

Half way back to the firm, Syaoran felt himself calm down — not much, but at least enough to speak at least a full sentence. His fingers dug deep into his palm, almost breaking skin, as they squeezed themselves into tight fists on his lap. His jaw tensed, his teeth clenched togther. "What happened?"

"You happened." Eriol stated boldly with a harsh, hard tone. He felt Syaoran's surprised gaze upon him, and found that his hands tightened on the steering wheel even more. "We're going to Tomoyo's to talk about it, since she only lives about two blocks away from the office. But listen, Li, and listen good. Because we're only telling you it all once. After that, it's up to you."

"Up to me?" Syaoran asked in a quite, almost frightened voice. Never once had Eriol called him by his last name. He was apparently very angry. But with what? Syaoran didn't know. He cleared his throat and tried to speak with a little more confidence. "Up to me to do _what_?"

Eriol refused to look at him, his whole body shaking with rage. "To fix her."

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**Authors Note: Wow guys!! Thanks for the amazing reviews! I actually got more than I thought, and every one meant so much to me!**

**Please put in your review. You don't even understand how much they made me smile. Please please PLEASE!!! :):):)**

**XoX...Riva...XoX**


	3. Chapter 2: Mistakes

**His Fallen Angel:  
**_Chapter Two - Mistakes_

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_**[Four years before present time...two years after prologue]**_

"What?!" The auburn haired girl's stricken voice asked. "Why?!"

Amber eyes guiltily looked into her beautiful green eyes. "It wasn't my decision. Mother wants me back in Hong Kong to go to university. Please, don't give me that look, Sakura. I hate that look," the boy pleaded.

Sakura swallowed hard, trying not to cry in front of him. She could feel the salty tears forming in her throat, wanting nothing more than to pour out. She swallowed again. "But...**why**? What's wrong with the university we applied to in Tokyo, Syaoran?"

Syaoran forced a small smile and moved a stray strand of hair away from in front of her eyes. He felt her shiver from his fingertips lightly brushing up against her skin. "You know how Mother is," he simply said.

"But still...Syaoran..." her gaze fell as did her shaking voice. "You'll be so far away..."

"I know," the boy said scarcely. All he wanted was for her to look up at him as they talked; for him to see her beautiful eyes. When she continued to look down at the ground, he joined her and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. "Sakura, I think...I think we should stop seeing each other."

Jade eyes darted up from the ground as the owners' breath caught in her throat. Sakura began to frantically search Syaorans face for an answer and felt her heart sink when his eyes didn't look up at her. The tears swelled up into a larger ball in her throat, and no matter how hard and how frequently she swallowed, it just didn't seem to go away. She found it difficult to locate her voice, and even when she did it was quiet. "Wh-Why?"

"I'm going to be gone for a few years, and — " Syaoran began, but was quickly cut off by Sakura.

"I don't care!" She screamed. "I don't care!"

"But I do," Syaorans voice remained calm as he finally took a chance to look up at Sakura. She hadn't realized it yet, but tears had begun to swell up and brim her eyes. "Sakura, you're so beautiful. And smart, and...amazing. Do you know how many guys want you? I've had trouble warding them off all this time," he tried to joke but quickly realized it wasn't the time.

He cleared his voice and continued. "I'm going to be away for so long, Sakura, and I don't want to tie you down. It wouldn't be fair to you to stay obligated to me while there are other guys that could actually spend the time with you. If it was only a few weeks or even months, you know I wouldn't care or worry. But this is **years**, Sakura. It wouldn't be fair on your part. You need someone who can hold you and kiss you...Love you. And while I'm in China, I can't do that."

"Wh-what if I don't care?" She asked again, this time more calmly.

"But I do care," Syaoran repeated quietly. "It's not fair to you. Besides, you've already been accepted to Tokyo. You already have plans. I can't let you change them simply on my account."

A tear rolled down her soft cheek. She couldn't say anymore, there was nothing else she could say. Nothing else she wanted to say.

Syaoran sighed, his eyes softening. He took a step closer to Sakura and pulled her into him. He felt her tiny arms wrap around him and tug on the back of his shirt as her fingers dug into the fabric. Her body began to shudder as tears flowed down her cheeks, leaving a salty stain on the chest of Syaorans shirt. He stroked her soft hair gently and rested his lips on the top of her head, taking in all her scents in one long breath. She always smelt so pretty; like vanilla and cherry blossoms. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes, keeping his lips on top of her head.

"God, I love you," Syaoran spoke softly to her. "I love you so much, Sakura."

"And I'll always love you, Syaoran," Sakura muffled into his shirt. "I don't w-want to love anyone else."

"Me neither," Syaoran agreed. "But I also need to do what's best for you. But," he pulled away and looked her straight in the eyes. "Sakura, just remember...for me, there will always be you. There will be you, and always you."

"Then let me come with you," Sakura begged.

"No," Syaoran told her firmly. "You're family is here. And your friends, your university. I can't drag you off to China and leave all that behind."

"But what about you?" She asked in a strained you. "You're leaving all that behind."

Syaoran paused, a small frown tugging at his lips. He sighed and leaned down to gently rest his forehead against hers. "I don't have a choice. I'm a Li, and Mother wants me in Hong Kong to finish school since it's the best of the best."

"Aren't I the best of the best?" Sakura asked in a small, childish voice.

Syaoran stood back up, taken back by her question. But he quickly saw the serious look on her face, so he put on a smile and swooped down to gently brush his lips against hers, "Always."

**b.K.d**

_**[Present time]**_

Syaoran sat on the edge of the chair he was sitting on, his knees close together and his hands balled up into tight fists again on his knees. He was biting his tongue, stopping himself from screaming every curse word that came to mind, and his teeth were grinding together. Across from him, on the opposite side of the coffee table from him, sat Eriol and a young woman their age with long, wavy lavender hair and large, sad violet eyes. Their hands were interlaced together, Eriol soothingly stroking the woman's back hand with his thumb, once in a while stopping on the ring on the finger beside her pinky to play with it for a second before caressing her hand again.

"You remember, then," the young woman, Tomoyo Daidouji, asked with a small voice. She wasn't looking over at him, worried about his expression, and instead was staring down at her's and Eriol's hands. "The day you told her you were leaving...and a week later, when you left?"

Unable to speak, Syaoran ground his teeth together even more and slowly nodded.

"She's never been the same since you left, Syaoran," Eriol informed him gently. He could tell the memory of having to leave Sakura hurt Syaoran, but he needed to press on. Needed Syaoran to understand the rest of it. "She didn't want to love another. And she couldn't understand why you wouldn't take her with y — "

"Because staying here was better for her!" Syaoran said harshly, his eyes narrowing on Eriol dangerously. "Everything she cares for it here — her friends, her family, the school she wanted to go to. It's all here. I wouldn't...I couldn't...take that away from her. It wouldn't have been right."

"We tried to tell her that," Tomoyo quickly tried to explain, her voice low and calm. "But she still didn't understand. She figured it meant you didn't love her, even though you said you di — "

"But I _did_ love her!" Syaoran all but screamed. "I _do _love her! That's why I did it!"

"Please, Syaoran," Eriol tried to remain calm, but it was easy to see that he would be the one to lose his cool much quicker than his fiancé. "Can you please let us finish explaining, or at least finish our sentences, before interrupting us?"

Syaoran waited for a minute, debating whether to answer or not. But when he saw Eriol lift an eyebrow, obviously waiting for an answer, Syaoran gave in and sighed. He nodded, letting Eriol continue.

Eriol sighed, watching Syaoran for a moment to make sure he was alright to go on, then continued in a strong but calm voice. "Like I said, she was never the same. She didn't want...or couldn't...love another, and she didn't understand why you left, no matter how many times Tomoyo and I tried to explain it to her. She just refused to grasp it, and made up her own reason — you didn't love her. She quickly became disconnected from the world, even from Tomoyo. It worried both of us, but she refused to talk. And then..." Eriol suddenly tensed, his hands also balling into tight fists. It seemed like he was trying to control himself, and only when he felt Tomoyo's soft hand squeeze his reassuringly did he even try to calm down.

He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath to compose himself. But when he opened his eyes, he kept his gaze down at his and Tomoyo's hands, refusing to look back at Syaoran. "And then...then she met Natsuo Hamada..."

"Eriol," Tomoyo said sadly, squeezing his hand again. She could feel him shaking with rage beside her, and even though he was trying to compose himself and keep control of his emotions, she also knew he could only take so much. "I can continue if you'd like. I can tell him what happened."

"No," Eriol said angrily, not taking his gaze away from their entwined hands. "He knew she was vulnerable, dammit! He knew she was an easy target! And no matter how hard I tried to protect her, how hard I tried to keep her safe. No matter how _hard _I tried to do _**your job**_ " — his head spun up and he glared at Syaoran angrily — "it wasn't enough! Dammit! It wasn't enough!"

"Eriol, please," Tomoyo begged gently, her eyes darkening with sorrow. "Let me finish, Eriol. It wasn't your fault. You tried...we both tried...but we couldn't."

"You're right," Eriol gritted his teeth together, his eyes glued angrily on Syaoran. "It's _your _fault! I don't care what the reasons were, but _you _left _her_! You did this to her!"

"Eriol!" Tomoyo hissed. "Syaoran may have had something to do with it, yes, I'll agree with that. But not even he would have known she would shut down like that. He didn't know what would have happened to her."

"He should have, dammit," Eriol growled in a low, dangerous voice. "He should have known."

"What did he do?" Syaoran growled, also becoming angrily; both with himself and Eriol. With himself, for leaving Sakura (though he still wasn't completely sure of what had happened to her) and at Eriol for not explaining the rest before losing his temper. "What the hell did Hamada do?!"

Tomoyo looked to Eriol to continue, but he looked away from both of them. Her sad gaze lingered on him for a second before she continued in a softer voice. "He took advantage of her weakness, Syaoran. He knew she was love-sick, so he tricked her into falling for him. It was fairly easy for him, because he's extremely good looking. And even though we all warned Sakura about him being a player, she didn't listen. I think..." she bit her lower lip, as if deciding whether to continue or not. "I think she saw you in him."

"I would never...I could never trick her..." he spoke between clenched teeth.

"Not like that," Tomoyo said quickly with a sigh. "You two don't even really look alike. But when he wants someone...he gets her. No matter what. So he played the sweet-innocent act, and she bought it, because the sweet things he did for her reminded her of you. And although you two don't resemble each other, he still had the dark eyes and messy hair, though not nearly as long or as dark. Still, she thought she could love him. And in return, she thought he could love her."

"Too bad that wasn't what he wanted," Eriol spat angrily, finally able to speak again. "We all knew what he wanted, but she wouldn't listen. She was sure he loved her...sure he would never leave her or hurt her," he shot Syaoran an angry glance, catching him wince at the harsh accusation of truth. "And two years ago...he was finally able to trick her into going home with him. And you know Sakura, always trusting...and it didn't help that she was so sure he loved her..."

Syaoran felt his fingers digging into his palms, splitting the skin and letting little droplets of blood drop down his palm and onto his work pants. His already intense amber eyes were now blazing, full of anger and rage. "He...this Hamada...slept with her?"

Tomoyo slowly shook her head, feeling the stinging tears swelling in her eyes again. She felt herself slowly begin to tremble as she tried to restrain her tears from shedding. "N-no...Slept with her is much too nice of a way to put it. But he tried. God knows he tried. By the time Sakura realized his intentions that night, it was too late."

"He...he _raped _her?!" Syaoran asked aghast. A queasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, and he was sure he was going to throw up.

Tomoyo slowly nodded, the tremors in her body increasing. "She fought at first...I saw the bruises, the scratches, on both of them...but he was at least twice her weight. She was always a small girl, you know." She bit her lower lip to compose herself, trying to push back the tears demanding to leave her eyes. She seemed to miss one though, and it escaped; slowly rolling down her cheek. "She fought at first...she truly did...but she lost. Sh-she gave u-u-up."

Suddenly, the tears exploded from Tomoyo. She threw her hands to her eyes, having to pull away her one hand from Eriol's firm grasp, and began crying the hardest she had cried since the night she arrived at the hospital after receiving a call from a nurse about Sakura's rape. Quickly, she felt Eriol enfold his securing arms around her small frame, and she couldn't help but turn her face into his shoulder and wept harder. She threw her arms around his neck, holding him close and she let the tears run freely down her face.

"She...she gave up?" Syaoran asked, half surprised — not wanting to believe it.

Eriol held Tomoyo close, soothing her back while letting her cry into his shoulder. He kept his worried, softened gaze on Tomoyo's head while he spoke quietly to Syaoran. "As she was fighting, Hamata told her that _that_ was all she was good for, that _that_ was all anyone would want her for. Was to have their fun with her, having sex with her, but no one could actually love her. Only lust for her."

"And she _believed _him?" Syaoran asked quietly. Again, he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't believe it. The girl he had left behind was strong. He felt sick to his stomach again, feeling like he was about to hurl.

"Put yourself in her shoes, Syaoran," Eriol began with a bitter tone in his voice again. "In her mind, you left her without a good enough reason, and refused to bring her. Then she 'falls' for this other guy, and he tells her that she'll only ever be good for sex. Of course she believed it."

"I sent her letters..." Syaoran began, almost in a trance as he re-traced his steps after he left for Hong Kong. "Everyday for the first few months I was gone, I wrote her a letter. But she wouldn't respond. She never responded. And I phoned every night, when I knew she would be home from classes. She never picked up...she never returned my calls. I figured she had moved on...and I didn't want to interfere with her new life. I...I thought I was helping her..."

"Some help it did," Eriol scoffed with fury. "We saw the letters, you know. She opened the first few, but when she read over your words she would begin to cry again. So after the first week, she stopped reading them. They became a pile in a box under her bed."

"She didn't...she didn't want to be hurt again," Tomoyo spoke through her tears. Her tears slowed down, and she turned her head toward Syaoran while keeping it cradled in Eriol's shoulder. "She didn't want you to hurt her again."

"But I didn't do it to hurt her," Syaoran said angrily, his blood boiling. Not because of Tomoyo, or even because of Eriol, but because of himself. "I thought I was doing the right thing." He waited for either of the two people to continue, but when the didn't, he sighed out in anger and turned his head away from them. He spoke quieter, but with a larger edge on his tone. "Is that why she's working at that club, then? Because of what that monster said to her?"

It took a minute for Eriol to answer, but after a bit her sighed and nodded. He pulled Tomoyo closer to him, wanting to protect her from any more pain, though she already knew all this. "Yes. She took his words to heart. She figured she really was a nothing in the world, only created for mens pleasure. A few weeks after the incident — and only that long because of Tomoyo — she dropped out of school and put in her resume for that strip club."

There was a long silence after that, as Tomoyo's cries turned into a small sniffle and the room grew still. Eriol kept his grasp on Tomoyo, still soothing her back lovingly and turning his head to kiss her forehead every once in a while.

Syaoran sat across from them, more tense and still than ever. He kept his gaze, smoldering with flames of anger and frustration, on his tightly grasped fists in his lap. He was ignoring the pain as his nails dug deeper into his skin, more blood dripping from his palm, and his knuckles turned a ghostly white. His mind was running, and there seemed to be no ending in sight.

The girl he had seen before at the bar...he never would have guessed that was Sakura. Not his Sakura. The girl was much too thin, her hair always seeming messy, and clothes were much, _much _too skimpy to be Sakura. Her eyes weren't the bright, vibrant green eyes his Sakura had had, either. Not the beautiful emerald gems he remembered, glowing with her happiness. No, this young woman's eyes were a dulled green, showing pain and regret. And her skin was paler, too. And her smiled...it was so fake. So hurt and wrong. Like if didn't belong, and it was being forced upon her face like some fragile porcelain doll.

And yet, it was his Sakura. The scent was definitely Sakura — cherry blossoms with a hint of vanilla. How could he ever forget that scent? It was of the only girl he had loved. The scent and had grown to be familiar with, grown to love and adore.

The girl, no matter how different now through the years of hardship, _was _his Sakura — deep down. She was the girl he had grown to love. But she was asleep, deep inside the young woman's body, waiting to be awaken and shown back toward the light of life. Waiting for someone to save it from the darkness. She was Sakura; the Sakura he had, and still did, love. **His **Sakura.

Syaoran abruptly stood up, his fists still wrapped tightly in a ball beside him, shaking angrily. He saw the pair of blue and purple eyes watching him warily, as if waiting for his reaction — to explode, to scream, to cry. Anything. But he held it in, because Syaoran Li was never one for giving away too many of his emotions.

His eyes burned with intensity as he watched the couple on the couch, also torn apart through the years of darkness with Sakura. He took a deep breath, and gave a slow nod. "She's still Sakura, though."

Eriol sighed, slowly nodding. "Yes, she's still Sakura."

"Then that's all I need," he said swiftly. He quickly swept out of the room, walking down the hall and to the door. He had now been there for a few hours, and peering out the front door's window he could make out the sun slowly rising in the distance. He slipped on his shoes, and grabbed his blazer off the coatrack in the hall. His hand paused on the doorknob when he heard Tomoyo's soft voice behind him.

"What are you going to do, Syaoran?" She asked warily, her voice still small and timid.

Syaoran sighed, keeping his hand on the doorknob but turning his head slightly toward the couple now standing in the hall. Eriol stood a few paces behind Tomoyo, his hands in his pockets as he watched Syaoran curiously, hopefully. Tomoyo's eyes lit up with hope as she waited for Syaoran's answer.

He turned away, their gaze too much for him and swung the door open. "I'm going to fix this. To fix her."

Then he slammed the door behind him and began running down the street, down the two blocks to his office to get his car. Once inside his car, he didn't give it time to warm up like usual and sped down the street toward the terrifying place his Sakura was trapped in.

* * *

**Authors Note: Wow! Thanks for the reviews everyone!! They're great. Though it seems like the first chapter confused a lot of you as to what happened to Sakura -nervous laugh- Sorry. I know I didn't make it clear in the first chapter (it wasn't supposed to be ^.-) Hopefully this clears it up, if even just a bit. It'll become more and more clearer as the chapters go on.**

**Please review!! They're like air to a dying man!**

**XoX...Riva...XoX**


	4. Chapter 3: Visit

**His Fallen Angel:  
**_Chapter Three - Visit_

* * *

"Blossom!" The bar owner called out as he polished a glass. He waited until Sakura could tear herself away from the man she was currently pleasing and ran over to him at the bar. As she approached him, she tried to straighten her hair with her fingers and straighten out her clothes, but it was futile. "I know I told you to work only on the floor tonight, but there's an important business man wanting some time with you, and he's paying big bucks for it. You up to it?"

Sakura grimaced, but didn't protest. Even though he asked if she was 'up to it', she knew she had no other choice but to say yes. She hid her disgust with a small, forced smile. "Of course. Is he here now?"

The man beamed at his most important employee, his eyes lighting up. All the men — he licked his lips — including himself fantasized over the sweet, lithe girl in front of him. And most paid a healthy amount of money for her, since she only went to the best payers. Blossom was the bar's main attraction; their lifeline.

He didn't bother to clear his head of the impure thoughts he had of her. "Mr. Wolfe is waiting for you in room B, in the back. He's been waiting patiently for the past half an hour now, so get to it."

A weary smile spread across the girl's face. "Of course."

Sakura quickly made her way to the back rooms, feeling every unoccupied pair of male eyes on her as she passed. She approached the second door in the slim hall, separate from the large main room. She took in a deep breath to compose herself as usual. The only thought that helped her was that the man behind the door was only another pig, just like the rest. Nothing new. Nothing different. Nothing surprising. He'd simply have his way with her — her reason for being on Earth — and she'd go onto the next.

With that, she gave a small sigh and plastered her fake smile onto her face. Honestly, she couldn't even remember what a real smile was or felt like anymore. It was all fake. All hurt.

She opened the door and walked into the room, she smile not falling. "Hello, Mr Wolfe. You wanted me..."

Sakura let her sentence trail off. Her smile slowly sank. She felt her heart momentarily stop and her breath catch as her eyes narrowed on the man leaning against the far wall.

He stood still, being careful not to touch anything but the wall. His hair was more of a mess than usual, she noticed, and his eyes seemed tired. Strained, tainted with bright blood-red veins and dark purple bruises underneath. He wore no blazer or tie, and his shirt was wrinkled and untucked with one button undone.

Syaoran's eyes looked at her pleadingly, searching her eyes. He got off the wall and took a single step closer to her. "Sakura..."

Sakura shook her head back and forth slowly, panic seizing her body. _Wolfe...Wolf...dammit! Why didn't I see that?! Idiot! That's what I called him; My little Syao-wolf. Stupid, stupid, __**stupid**__!_

"N-no, Syaoran...get away from here," Sakura tried to have a strong voice, but it came out in a strained plea instead. "I told you to stay away from here."

"I...we need to talk," Syaoran said calmly, still watching her carefully. When she shook her head again, he took one more step forward. "Please, Sakura. Can we please talk?"

"I can't," Sakura's voice was barely a whisper. "Please, leave."

"No," Syaoran's voice suddenly matched her tone; quiet, pleading. Though it was stronger, like he wasn't going to give up. "I can't do that, Sakura. I want..._need_...to speak to you."

Sakura felt her body begin to tremble as her control began to slip away. The tears that had been gathering in her throat suddenly appeared behind her eyes. Only one rolled down her cheek while the others she restrained. "N-no...please, Syaoran. Don't do this to me. Please...not again..."

Syaoran felt all his restraint for keeping his distance from her dwindle then as he saw that one, lone tear slide down her cheek and her quiet, hurt tone hit his ears. With five long strides, he was suddenly in front of her. Without any hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. He quickly noticed that she was much smaller than when he had left Japan, even with her always being a small girl. He refused to let her go and held her close.

When she felt his arms wrap around her, Sakura heard a voice in her head screaming at her, telling her to resist and get away. That she'd only be hurt again. But she didn't want to. He was so warm, so comforting. The feeling was better than how she had remembered it. The security of being in his arms. She quickly melted against him and wrapped her tiny arms around him, under his arms, and grabbed fistfuls of the back of his shirt in her hands. She held on tightly, probably ruining his shirt, but she couldn't help it. It was as if, if she let go she'd fall. She dug her face into his chest and let the hot river of tears flow freely down her face, staining his shirt with a salty puddle.

Syaoran felt her begin to tremble and shake as her tears let lose, the wetness soaking through his shirt. He felt a tugging at his heart. _This is all my fault. _

He sighed sadly, digging his face into her sweet smelling hair, and let her cry. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scents — she smelt the same, he noted, like cherry blossoms and vanilla — and lovingly, gently kissed the crown of her head.

"I am so sorry, Sakura," he whispered softly into her hair. After another deep breath, he sighed sadly again and rested his chin on her head, cradling her head between his chin and neck. "You don't know how sorry I am. I never wanted to hurt you, please believe that. That was never my intentions. Never."

"But you did hurt me," Sakura mumbled into his chest. "You...you left me. How was that not supposed to hurt?"

"I'm sorry," Syaoran merely repeated, not knowing what else to say. "Let me fix this. Please. I can fix this."

Slowly, trembling even more, Sakura shook her head. Though she didn't try to move away from him. "Y-y-you'll leave me a-again."

"No," Syaoran said sternly, almost a growl. His jaw tensed. "I won't. I won't ever leave you again, I promise."

"Syaoran..."

"Please, Sakura, let me prove it," Syaoran begged gently, tightening his grasp on her and bringing her closer.

Sakura paused and closed her eyes. She drew in a long, ragged breath before biting her bottom lip nervously. She felt her grasp on his shirt tighten. "Did...did Eriol put you up to this? Send you? Or Tomoyo?"

Syaoran felt his jaw tense even more, his teeth grinding together as his hold on Sakura tightened once again. "No one sent me, and no one put me up to this. No one puts me up to _anything_, Sakura."

Syaoran paused, loosening his grasp on her. She pulled away slightly, though stayed in his arms, to look up at his face. Tears, drying by now, stained her face and her eyes were red and puffy from her crying. Syaoran frowned at the sight. He slowly leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to her forehead, staying there for a moment. Neither moved, savouring the precious moment. When Syaoran finally did move his lips, his made sure to keep them close to her forehead. His lips hovered over her forehead, brushing her skin as he spoke.

"Sakura...Sakura, please, let me prove to you that I'm sorry. That I'll never leave you again."

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, holding back the fresh batch of tears ready to explode. His tender lips against her forehead felt so comforting. How she had missed the feeling! She could feel his warm breath wash over her skin as he spoke, only adding to the sensation. It was such a lustless touch. Such a loving touch.

She let go of his shirt — her hands killed from holding on so tightly — and moved her hands flatly over his chest. She didn't protest that his lips lingered over her forehead, and simply savoured his lustless, gentle touch. "This isn't fair, Syaoran. _You_ left _me_. _You_ hurt _me_."

"I know. I'm sorry," Syaoran repeated quietly, remorse filling his already strained voice. "I don't deserve it, but I hope you'll let me show you how sorry I am. That you'll let me back into your life."

"I..."

"Please," his voice cracked. "Please let me show you. To prove to you that I didn't want to hurt you. To prove that I won't leave you again. Let me help you, Sakura. Let me fix you. We can get through this, together."

That was when Sakura tensed in his arms, and Syaoran realized it right away. Though he didn't loosen his arms around her. If anything, his arms tightened around her, not wanting to let go. Ever. But she began pounding her tiny fists on his chest until he finally let go. Her body began to shake again, though not because of tears. Not this time. This time, it was because of anger. Her emerald eyes burned with anger, and Syaoran knew better than to put his arms around her again at that point.

"Fix me?!" Sakura yelled, her jaw slowly tightening. "Did Eriol tell you that? That I'm _broken_?!" She spat the last word and her small hands tightened into shaking fists. "I'm not broken, Syaoran. It's not like I'm like some doll who fell off a shelf and now needs some glue. It's nothing like that. I'm. Not. Broken."

_No_, Syaoran wanted to argue. _That's where you're wrong. You are that doll. A delicate China doll. You did fall. Not from something as small as a shelf, but from something much higher and steeper like a cliff. You can't be glued together. That would be too easy; a band-aid solution. You need to be cared for._

But he couldn't seem to find his voice enough for all that. He couldn't put those words together through his voice. He looked at her sadly, wanting to find the right words, but couldn't. Instead, he settled on a single, whispered word: "Sakura..."

Sakura shook her head violently, swallowing the ball of tears in her throat. "No, Syaoran."

"Please, Sakura, just listen to me. You don't have to do this anymore. You don't need to be here anymore. You can come with me." He cautiously took a step closer to her. "Please, Sakura, let me —"

Sakura shook her head again, but more gently, and took a step back toward the door. A small, almost nervous smile spread across her lips as her hand rested on the doorknob. "I...I have to get back to work."

"No! Sakura, wait — !"

Before Syaoran could finish his plea, Sakura was out the door and had slammed it behind her. Syaoran stared at the door for a moment before his eyes hardened with anger and his expression turned to rage. His fists balled up, shaking. With all the force he could muster, he threw a punch into the wall beside him, leaving a shallow hole in the plaster. He left his hand there, his whole body shaking as single curse word slipped past his lips.

"Fuck!"

**b.K.d**

Sakura slammed the door behind her and leaned her back against it, wrapping her arms around her body to try and stop herself from shaking so hard. It did no good. She lowered her head toward the ground, clamping her eyes shut to stop the tears behind her eyes from making a debut and chewed her bottom lip.

"I'm not broken," she mumbled, her eyes stinging. "I'm not..."

She suddenly heard a loud bang from inside the room, making her jump away from the wall. She looked back at the door nervously as she heard Syaoran swear rather loudly. She stood there for only a moment longer before running down the hall and back to the main room. As she approached the bar, the owner raised an eyebrow at her.

"That was...quick," he stated.

She shrugged. "He changed his mind. He didn't want anything from me today."

"Hmm...And he paid so much..."

She didn't answer to this and looked back toward the hall nervously, to see if Syaoran had left the room yet. He hadn't. It was then that she realized that, besides the bar owner and herself, the room was empty. She sighed, realizing that everyone had closed up and gone home already. The other girls, she knew, were back stage getting ready to leave and go sleep.

Before Sakura could excuse herself to go change, she felt cold hands slowly slink around her waist, stopping on her hips. The person behind her pulled her toward them, letting her feel their hard arousal. Their warm breath ran along her neck and shoulder, making her shudder — though not out of pleasure.

"He may not have wanted anything," the bar owner whispered huskily into her ear. He pulled her closer, practically grinding himself into her butt, then trailed one hand up along her body to rest on her breast. He gave it a light squeeze, and suddenly became harder. He kissed the base of her neck; the kiss, though gentle, was much different from Syaoran's gentle kiss. It was full of lust. Nothing else. "But you still have to earn your share of his money, Blossom."

Sakura nodded, and clamped her eyes shut as he gently bit her shoulder, trying to arouse her though it wasn't working. When his tongue began to run up her neck toward her ear, she was suddenly aware of the door that had slammed shut. She peeked through her eyes just in time to see Syaoran walking through the door that led to the hall and into the room where she was. When she caught his gaze, she looked away from him nervously. The man behind her squeezed her breast again, harder than last time.

"We're closed," the bar owner growled to Syaoran.

Syaoran didn't move. His eyes narrowed on the man holding Sakura and quickly his blood boiled. His hands balled up beside him and shook with fury. His anger only grew when the man squeezed her breast again, giving a small groan and thrust himself from behind her. It was sickening. Syaoran wanted to march over there and throw the man across the room. He wanted to beat the crap out of him. He wanted to wrap his arms around Sakura..._his_ Sakura...and protect her from all other men.

He wanted...He wanted...

"I won't give up," Syaoran firmly promised between a clenched jaw. "Don't think I will, because I won't. That's a promise."

Sakura looked up to meet Syaoran's blazing gaze for one brief moment before he turned toward the door and left. It seemed to have taken him quite a bit of effort to leave her there and walk away, and Sakura felt an odd, long forgotten tug at her heart.

She swallowed a small whimper when her boss roughly pulled her behind the bar and pushed her onto the ground. She was taken by surprise at first, since she had been watching Syaoran leave, but that emotion quickly disappeared. After all, she was used to this.

The man crouched above her, pushing his arousal against her leg so she could feel it through his pants. A loud groan escaped his mouth. He began pulling her clothes off, taking no time to admire her body or try to arouse her. This was merely routine now. Only supposed to be pleasurable for him. She was no longer human in his eyes. Merely another girl to have sex with.

Sakura closed her eyes, pretending that she was enjoying it, like she did every time she was with a guy. She'd add in her own fake throaty sounds to the moment here and there. Refusing to see the face above her. Pretending that she saw something else.

And when he wasn't looking, Sakura let the smallest of tears roll down her cheek.

* * *

**Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed to the last chapter! They mean the world to me. So I update quicker than before (haha...I was actually surprised that I finished this when I did! I didn't expect this to be done for another few days.)**

**PLEEEEEEEEEEASE (I'm on my knees, begging!) review! **

_**Next Chapter: **What happened to Sakura when Syaoran left, exactly? We know that she was tricked into a relationship and that she was told lies, but how exactly? What did he do and say to her? Find out in the next chapter!! See you then!_

**XoX...Riva...XoX**


	5. Chapter 4: Lost

**His Fallen Angel**

_Chapter Four - Lost (Sakura's Past after Syaoran Left)_

* * *

Sakura watched as the cab drove her only love away from her.

Forever.

**b.K.d**

Four months later, Sakura sat in the back of her university lecture, her eyes blank, her expression lifeless. She took notes. Payed attention. Got the details of the lecture. And would, like usual, leave without another word. She was a good student; got good marks. But she made no attempts to become friends with anyone in her classes. She wouldn't even bother to talk to anyone. She'd simply keep to herself in the back row and take her notes like a good girl.

"And remember," her teacher reminded them as he dismissed the class. "Your paper is due Thursday."

Everyone quickly moved, stuffing their laptops, notebooks and pens into their bags. The heavy chatter began buzzing around Sakura, but like usual, she tuned it out. She moved like a soleless doll; in routine, not talking, not looking around. She simply slid her cheap laptop into it's bag, then her notebook and chewed pen into her purse. By the time she was ready to go at her slow pace, everyone had already left, including the professor.

She slug her bags over her shoulder with a sigh. Her eyes weren't the vibrant green they once were; they were now a dulled olive colour. Just as lifeless as the expression on her face. She turned to leave, but ran into something standing behind her. She felt herself fall backward, and would have fallen onto the ground, if not for the strong arm that quickly caught her wrist and held her steady.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," a husky male voice apologized kindly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Sakura looked up at the face. It wasn't one she recognized. Then again, it wasn't like she had paid any attention to the faces around her for the past months. Though a part of her did recognize that he was handsome. He was tall, maybe a head taller than her, with messy dark hair and bright dark eyes. Both his hair and eyes were darker than Syaoran's, but oddly enough, reminded her of him.

A sudden, painful piercing stabbed her heart; Syaoran. She had been trying to forget him, but the mere thought or mention of him — his name, or the way he looked or spoke — literally tore her apart. She winced, and the boy noticed.

"Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" He asked, concern in his gentle voice.

"N-no," Sakura said shakily. Her throat was dry from not using it all morning. The sudden sound coming out of her mouth hurt. "I'm fine."

The boy smiled a crooked smile. "I'm glad, Sakura." When she gave him a confused glance, he gave a small laugh as if reading her mind. "Oh yes, I know you name. Though I had to ask around for a bit to find out. You're just so quiet!"

"O-oh, well, yeah," Sakura stammered. When she was herself, back when she was alive, she would have blushed. But now, she felt nothing. "Sorry, but I don't know your name."

The boy's smile grew, and a glint appeared in his eyes. "Natsuo Hamada, though I guess I shouldn't have expected you to know my name. You just keep to yourself back here..." he paused, deep in thought. "I wonder why that is?"

Sakura merely shrugged. When Natsuo realized he wasn't getting anymore from her, he lead her down the stairs of the classroom and out the door into the hall. He walked beside her, his hands in his pockets, his eyes on her.

When they were outside and in the parking lot, Sakura stopped by a small red car. It was Tomoyo's car, since they took turns car-pooling. This week it was Tomoyo's turn to drive, and next week it would be Sakura's. Natsuo also stopped.

"I was wondering..." he began. He made sure to meet her gaze, his winning crooked smile on. "I was wondering if you'd like to out to dinner sometime? Or maybe just a coffee? My treat."

Sakura frowned. She hadn't even thought about dating since...

She stopped right there. Stopped before it hurt again.

"Sakura?" Natsuo asked, obvious to her sudden dazed-off expression. "Hey, Sakura, hows about it then? My treat."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak when Tomoyo suddenly was at her side, a protective arm around her waist. Her amethyst eyes bore daggers into Natsuo as if her were the dirt under her shoes.

"You stay away from her, Hamada," Tomoyo told him darkly. "Leave this one alone."

His crooked smile dropped for a brief moment, but quickly returned. "Do what, Miss Daidouji? I haven't done anything — "

Tomoyo turned to Sakura. "Sakura, hun, get in the car please."

Sakura looked back to Natsuo for a moment to see him sigh in frustration, then turned and opened the passenger side door. She heard the argument between Tomoyo and Natsuo, muffled by the car's glass, for a few minutes before he walked off and Tomoyo wrenched open the car door. She slammed the door behind her and gave an annoyed grunt, her hands wrapped tightly around her steering wheel.

"Sakura Kinomoto, you stay away from that boy, you hear me?" Tomoyo told her sternly, peering over at her with worried eyes. When Sakura didn't respond, she continued. "He's a man-whore, Sakura. He's no good for you. Just promise me you'll keep away from him."

"You sound like Toya," Sakura grumbled, only half really listening.

"Well since Toya isn't here right now, someone has to take care of you. What were you thinking, talking to Natsuo Hamada? Don't you know what he does to women? How he treats them?"

Sakura sighed, "I guess not."

Tomoyo eyed her for a moment longer, the looked away and sighed as well. "Look, Sakura, it's been nearly six months since Syaoran" — she missed Sakura's painful wince — "has left, and I'm sorry, I'm your friend and I love you, but get over it!"

Sakura's surprised gaze shot up toward Tomoyo. "Wh-what?!"

Tomoyo looked at her angrily. It was time for tough love. "Sakura, you've moped around enough. Much more than you should have, and I should never have let you for this long. Wallowing in self pity is going to do you nothing. Nothing!"

"He left me," Sakura mumbled, looking away again. The wall around her went back up. "I loved him."

"And you loved you too! And he did this for you. It was stupid, but he did. He thought he was helping you. He didn't want you to be tied to him while he was away." Tomoyo all but screamed, reminding both her and Sakura.

"Whole lot of good that did."

Tomoyo sighed angrily, closing her eyes in frustration. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel. "Just promise me you'll stay clear from Hamada, alright? Syaoran wouldn't want to see you get hurt by that scum."

"He has no say in my life anymore, Tomoyo. And he hurt me first. What does he care?"

Tomoyo sighed, biting her tongue from saying no more as she started the car and slammed on the gas.

**b.K.d**

The red light was on on Sakura's answering machine when she got into her apartment. She lived alone, since Tomoyo lived with Eriol. They had asked her to move in with them, but she hadn't wanted to intrude with their relationship. It would have felt as though she was a third wheel.

She pressed the button; the machine told her she had three new messages. The first was from her father, asking her to come see them for the weekend. That he missed her and wanted to see her, though Sakura was sure Tomoyo or Eriol had talked to him about her...state.

She pressed the button for the next message.

"Sakura." Sakura's heart stopped as the deep, concerning voice filled her ears. She wanted to stop the message, but couldn't move. The man on the phone sighed heavily. "Sakura, can you please call me tonight? I'm really starting to get worried." A pause. "Eriol called me today, did you know that? He's worried too, but he wouldn't tell me anything. Please, Sakura, what is going on? Why aren't you responding to any of my calls or letters?" A longer pause, then, "Are you pregnant?! Who did it, Sakura?! I swear to God, I'll murder the fucking bast — !"

The message suddenly cut off, being too long for her tiny machine. Sakura wiped away the tear silently rolling down her cheek and pressed the button for the final message.

It was the same, concerning voice. Now calmed down.

"Sakura, I'm sorry." Syaoran began again in a softer tone. "Just...Just please call me back, okay? I'm really worried about you. If you've...moved on, I'll understand. Just please, _please_, call me."

Sakura, of course, didn't. She deleted both of his messages, then picked up the mail she had retrieved early from her hallway. She picked through the mail, coming to rest on a thin, cream-coloured envelope. The printed address and return-address was nearly written out in a oh too familiar hand. And the envelope itself was sealed off in red wax with a familiar crest embedded into it.

Her shaking hands gripped it tightly as she placed the rest of her mail down. She walked to her room and knelt down beside her bed. She pulled out a large brown-cardboard box and slid the unopened letter into it. Then, without changing, she crawled into her bed and fell asleep.

**b.K.d**

Natsuo Hamada approached Sakura again after class the next day. He smiled crookedly at her, his eyes bright with hope.

"We were sorta interrupted yesterday, but my offer's still up."

Sakura frowned, confused. "What offer?"

He gave a small chuckle at her slowness, but answered her question. "Coffee or dinner? My treat?"

Sakura paused, actually thinking it over. But his eyes...they were so dark. As if hiding a million secrets. They reminded her of the boy from her past when they had first met — dark and cold, filled with loneliness and mysteries. And now, as she looked at Natsuo's dark eyes, she saw the mysterious look once again. Though it was different somehow...

She took in a deep breath, "Uh, sure. Coffee sounds great."

His crooked smile widened. "Excellent. We can go after class tomorrow, how about?"

Sakura forced a shaky smile. A very shaky smile. "That...That sounds great."

Though it didn't sound so great to Tomoyo. When Sakura told her her plans for the next day, Tomoyo's eyes widened in horror then quickly narrowed in anger. She felt herself seething; after all, she was only trying to look out for her friend.

"Sakura Kinomoto! What are you thinking?!" Tomoyo hissed. "That boy is _dangerous_. He's a slimy, good for nothing, skanky, man-whore! Please, Sakura, just tell him this date is off. I'm glad that you're getting over Syaoran" — she didn't miss Sakura's wince to his name — "but going out with Hamada?! You can do so much better, Sakura. So much better."

Sakura shrugged. "He seems nice enough though, Tomoyo. I'm sure you're just exaggerating. He's nice to me."

"For only one reason!" Tomoyo screamed. "To get in your pants!"

Sakura sighed angrily and shook her head. "You're wrong."

Then she turned and ran through the crowded hallway to the exit, then ran across town to home.

**b.K.d**

Six months past. Neither Tomoyo or Eriol — who, though attending a different university, had also heard of the player Natsuo Hamada — could convince Sakura to stay away from the boy. Sakura felt some sort of pull toward the boy. Mostly because of his eyes. How dark they were, but also how they lit up whenever he saw her. Though she thought they lit up because he loved her. She wasn't aware of the true cause.

It was their sixth month anniversary. Natsuo had convinced Sakura that he wanted to cook her something special for their anniversary. Sakura easily accepted; after all, she had been to his place many times. Once again, she ignored Tomoyo and Eriol's warnings and went to his apartment. Alone.

They had finished dinner, and Natsuo suggested watching a movie. Sakura easily agreed. For once in her life since Syaoran had left, she felt whole. She felt alive and loved. She felt...complete.

They went into his room to watch the movie, since the only TV in his house was in his room, and curled up on his bed. He lovingly wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, lightly running his fingers up and down her side.

It was only fifteen minutes into the movie when Sakura felt Natsuo's touch suddenly change. The atmosphere around her changed, making her confused. His hand stopped tracing her side and began dipping lower, tracing her hip and thigh. She gave an involuntary, uncomfortable shudder. Obviously, Natsuo mistook this and gave a low growl.

He rolled on top of her and attacked her mouth before she could protest. She laid there, stunned, at first, not knowing what to do as he forced himself into her mouth. Having to breath, he pulled away with an animalistic gasp and began trailing wet, hot kisses down her neck toward her chest.

Sakura squired, panic seizing her body as she realized what he was doing. As she realized Tomoyo had been right all along.

She pressed her legs together in a futile effort to stop him. She began beating his chest with her fists, screaming, but he easily pinned down her hands. "Natsuo! Natsuo, get off of me!"

He groaned against her collarbone. "Give it _up_, Sakura. I know you're not a virgin, so just drop it."

"Get off! Get off me! Natsuo!"

He slapped her face, stunning and quieting her.

"Stop being such a prick, Sakura." He growled. "Six months I've been with you. Six fucking months. I think I have every right to do this now."

She began to cry. "B...But you l-l-love me, Natsuo..."

He gave a cold, heartless chuckle and finally looked up to meet her scared eyes. "Love? Are you kidding me? _Love_?"

"You...You s-said..."

"It was all a game, my dear Sakura," he chuckled again. "I could never love you. No one could ever love you."

"Then why..."

"Look at yourself! Small, lithe...just what men want." It was then that Sakura recognized the gaze in his eyes whenever he saw her. It wasn't love. It was never love. Just lust; plain, thick lust. "I don't love you, Sakura. I want you. That's all. Now stop being such a prude!"

"N-no...No!" She began to struggle against him. She wanted to reach something to hit him with – like a lamp on the bedside table. But he was too strong; she couldn't move at all.

"No one could ever love you," he repeated, taunting her. "Only lust for you, dear Sakura. It's the only reason why you exist. The only reason why men would ever want to be around you. To fuck you. To screw you. To pleasure themselves...but never love. Oh no, never love."

Heavy tears sprung up in her eyes and rushed down her cheeks, making her vision blurry. "You're...You're lying. He...He loved me."

"Who?" Natsuo asked smugly, holding back a laugh at the girl's frightened look. When she didn't answer, he let a light chuckle slip past his lips. "I already told you, no one can love you. No one. No man. You only have one reason, Sakura...and I'm about to show it to you. So just open up like a good little girl and accept your fate."

Sakura felt a knife stab through her heart. She became lifeless. Emotionless. She became empty; nothing more than a doll.

Giving up, she loosened her legs and separated them as he began tearing off her clothes.

_Syaoran...how could you?_

**b.K.d**

One month. One week. Three days.

Sakura had counted. That was how long ago her incident with Natsuo Hamada had been. She had only gone to classes for three days since, though Tomoyo had tried to convince her differently. She had even suggested going to a new school. And Eriol had begged her to talk to somebody, if not them, about the incident. To go to a counsellor.

She had turned all of their offers down.

She knew what she was here, on Earth, for. It was so clear now. Before, she would think that the building that she was standing in front of was dirty, but was she so different? She felt dirty. Filthy. Unable to be cleaned or clean again. And his words...Hamada's damn words kept ringing in her ears. Her fate...their pleasure...her purpose...not love.

She closed her eyes one last time and stepped into the club. She walked straight up to the bartender, who was eyeing her hungrily. He was checking her out as soon as she stepped through the door.

"And what can I do for _you_, miss?" He asked with a disgusting smile.

Sakura drew in a deep breath. "You can give me a job here."

The man's smile widened. "I think I can do that. Your name?"

"Blossom."

* * *

**Author's Note: Ack...sorry for the late update!! I didn't mean for this to be up so late. School's been tough lately...sorry sorry. But the next chapter it half done, and I'm on holidays now ^.^ So I promise the next update won't be too long. Maybe even less than a week? ^.^ If I get a lot of reviews, I'll try and have it up for either the first day of Channukah (Monday) of Christmas Eve (Wednesday)!**

**Happy Holidays everyone!! I personally cannot wait for playing dreidels on Monday and eating Turkey n' Stuffing on Wednesday!! XDD I wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday!!**

**And sorry for any mistakes . It's late and I didn't want to ship it off to my beta because I KNOW this chapter has been a long wait. Thank you all for your patience.**

**Please tell me what you think!!! I don't like to swear, so I'm really iffy on this chapter. Especially since I've never written a rape scene before...umm...yeah, please review!! I honesltly cannot tell you how much they help and encourage me!!**

_**Next Chapter: **Now that we know what happened in Sakura's past, what now? How is Syaoran going to gain her trust back? CAN he gain her trust back? And what happens when she finally breaks down?? FIND OUT SOON!!_

**XoX...Riva...XoX**


	6. Chapter 5: Flowers

**His Fallen Angel:  
**_Chapter Five - Flowers_

* * *

Sakura sat at the vanity claimed for Blossom in the back room for the performers. She sat, almost as if she were in a trance, as she stared at the mirror and slowly brushed out her hair. Her makeup had already been applied — dark and seductive — to match her red tank that showed her midriff and black-jean skirt. The tank was slightly transparent, showing through her dark black, lacy bra.

"Blossom!" A blond girl sang out happily bouncing up behind her.

Sakura gave an inward groan. Although she tried to get along with all her coworkers, this girl, 'Kandi', was difficult. She was so vain, which worked great for the job, but not great for the other girls. It didn't help that she was the bartender's niece.

Kandi rested her hands on Sakura's shoulders and leaned down, watching Sakura's eyes through the mirror. A large, too sweet smile was on her face. "Blossom, I'd prepare yourself for my uncle's wrath."

Sakura frowned, "Why?"

Kandi's smile grew. "Oh, because — "

"_BLOSSOM!_" Both girl turned to see the bartender marching toward them, a crystal vase in his hand. In the vase was a single pink peony, surrounded by baby's breath and one slightly large leaf. Sakura's eyes widened on the vase. Oh God, she knew where this was going.

"Kandi, go." He ordered. Kandi pouted, but walked off to her own vanity. The bartender's fuming gaze looked down at Sakura. "Blossom, you know I do not take well do admirers. What the hell is this?!" He dropped the vase onto her vanity, keeping it up right though some water splashed out.

Sakura winced as the water splashed on her arm. She looked at the flower, then back to her boss. She shook her head. "I-I don't know, sir. All my clients know that you don't like — "

"There was a card," he growled. He dug through his pocket and took out a small pink envelope, the size that went with flower bouquets. Sakura picked it up with shaking hands. There was no name on the front, giving nothing away. But the envelope had been opened. She frowned and looked up at the large man. He continued. "I don't recognize his name. I don't think he's a regular."

He turned to leave, but shot her once last death glare. "**Don't** let it happen again, Blossom."

Sakura looked back down at the small envelope in her hands, shaking. She knew what the peony signified; it was, after all, _his_ favourite flower. She didn't need to open the card to know who this 'admirer' was, but she did.

On the cover of the card was a tiny brown, fluffy teddy bear holding his own peony. She traced the bear with a small smile; she had always loved teddy bears. With her hands not shaking as much, she opened the card to reveal his perfect, flawless handwriting.

_Sakura, _

_I won't give up. I promise. Just remember that._

_Love, Syaoran._

"I won't give up?" Kandi's too-highly pitched voice screeched in Sakura's ear, making her jump slightly. She turned to see the blond leaning over her shoulder, reading the card. For the first time in years, Sakura felt herself blush slightly. Kandi ignored this and scoffed, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sakura folded the card with a sigh and tucked it under the vase.

But when Kandi left, Sakura found herself smiling ever so slightly at the flower in front of her.

**b.K.d**

Syaoran looked down at his watch and gave a small groan, wanting nothing more than to smack his head off his desk. It was nearing midnight, and he was still stuck at work. _Again_.

It had been like that for the past week, as he worked on the divorce case he had been given. He just couldn't find anything to help out the man. Syaoran even found himself hating the man he was supposed to be defending. He was cruel, abusive, cold...And yet, he wanted the woman's money. And, unfortunately, it was Syaoran's job to try and get him this money.

But how?! There was simply nothing to make a case out of. The man was a jerk, and the woman deserved to be just left alone. If anything, _she_ should have been getting _his_ money.

And because of the damn case, Syaoran hadn't had anytime in the past week to try and see Sakura again. Though he had sent her a flower and card the other day, in case she thought that him not coming was because he had given up.

He most certainly had not.

He looked down at his watch again and sighed even harder. 12:04am.

He wandered over to the window and peered down at the almost empty parking lot. Only a few cars remained, including Eriol's and their boss's. After a few minutes of simply staring, Syaoran saw Eriol's figure dash out from the building and run to his car, trying to dash through the rain so he wouldn't get overly wet.

Syaoran frowned; ever since he had gone to see Sakura, and came back empty-handed, Eriol had also been ignoring him. He would talk to him in meetings, or if it was for any other important business, but not for personal reasons. If anything, Syaoran was sure he had caught Eriol scowling at him a few times.

Not that he blamed him, but wasn't anyone going to cut him a break? He was trying to fix things, dammit. Couldn't they see that?!

Though Tomoyo had called him once, and had offered words of encouragement. Told him not to give up, and that Sakura merely needed to realize that Syaoran wasn't going to leave her again. That he did love her. That the bastard Natsuo's words weren't real.

Again, Syaoran sighed heavily and plopped himself back down into his chair. He leaned back lazily and ran his fingers through his unruly dark hair. And, again, he looked down at his watch.

12:13am.

He groan and finally turned off the computer and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. He pulled it on and locked his office door, frustrated.

_Well, _he thought with a heavy sigh. _I'm not getting anywhere with this tonight, anyway. Time to put my efforts someplace else..._

**b.K.d**

Sakura's client for the next hour was a larger man, but in a muscular way. He had tanned skin with dark black hair and vibrant grey eyes. He was a regular who came in to see Blossom at least twice a week.

He locked the door behind him and with a wide smile sauntered over to Sakura, who was already sitting on the bed. She smoothed out a spot beside her, her own enticing but sexy grin on her face. He took the seat beside her and leaned in.

And Sakura's long night began.

**b.K.d**

Syaoran entered the bar dripping wet. A woman, obviously not a dancer but maybe a waitress, came over with a sexy grin on her face. She looked over Syaoran before offering to take his coat. He removed it, but shook his head and kept a firm grip on it. The woman pouted but left him.

He walked into the main room, looking for Sakura. His eyes scanned the room, looking at all the dancers, though only looking for her. After scanning through the area for a third time, he frowned deeply. She wasn't on the floor or stage, which could only mean she was...

"Well, hel-_lo_," a feminine husky voice spoke to Syaoran. Syaoran hadn't noticed the blond girl making their way to him until she was right in front of him, her eyes filled with lust. She smiled. "I haven't seen you here, so how about we introduce ourselves? I'm Kandi. Looking for a good time?"

Syaoran frowned. "No."

"Oh," the blond, Kandi, seemed slightly disappointed. "Are you looking for anyone in specific?"

"Sa...err, Blossom." He wasn't sure if anyone here even knew her real name.

Her smile quickly sank and her eyes became venomous. "Oh, _her_. Well, I suppose it's not that surprising. She always gets the yummy ones, doesn't she?" She looked up to see Syaoran's uncomfortable look and frowned. What was with the guy?!

She sighed, frustrated, and rested her hands on her hips. She motioned toward the door across the room that led to the hall with the bedrooms. "Blossom's busy at the moment. She just got in there, so you're going to have to...hey, wait!"

But Syaoran was already halfway across the room. He ignored the girl's constant calls and opened the door to the hall. Three of five of the rooms seemed to be in use, but he could hear voices from the first two rooms, and they definitely were not from Sakura. He stopped at the third door and raised his fist to knock, then brought it down and juggled with the doorknob instead. Of course, it was locked.

He was furious. Just thinking that some other guy was touching Sakura, _his_ Sakura, sent him over the roof. Even if he knew she had been doing this for the past few years, and knew what the job entailed, it didn't mean he like it. And the feeling of possessiveness was much more fierce, now that he knew someone was with her **now**.

"What the hell?" A male voice thundered from inside. He was obviously annoyed that someone had dared interrupt them. "Fuck off!"

"Open the damn door!" Syaoran growled loudly.

He heard Sakura whisper something — obviously, she recognized his voice — while the man grumbled and cussed. The bed creaked underneath him as he stood. Syaoran could hear his booming footsteps coming toward the door. The door unlocked loudly before it was wrenched open.

The large man looked far past furious. There were no words to describe it. He obviously had a major erection, as it was bulging through his jean pants, but was already shirtless.

His tiny grey eyes narrowed on Syaoran. "What the hell do you want?"

"Get the hell out of my way," Syaoran growled.

"This is my time with the girl," the man pointed out. "You can wait until I'm done."

Syaoran didn't respond to that. At least, not verbally. He shoved the larger man out of the way, receiving a surprised look from the man. Who knew the smaller man could push him out of the way so easily?

Syaoran stopped halfway in the room to see Sakura looking up at him, her eyes wide. She wasn't nearly dressed decently; her bra and matching thong was all she was in. Her hands were bunched up nervously, holding fist-fulls of sheets in her hands. She actually seemed somewhat...happy, if her dare think, to see him.

He sighed, seeing her vulnerability. But not in the way most men would have sighed right then. Most men would have sighed in frustration because of their growing erection, but Syaoran sighed because he could see the hurt and pain in her eyes. See how vulnerable and lost she really was.

"Oh, Sakura..." he sighed sadly.

Sakura's eyes suddenly widened on something behind her. She gave a small squeak of fright as she backed up slightly. Syaoran saw this and ducked out of the way just in time as the man standing behind him lurched a punch at his head.

Syaoran jumped in front of Sakura, his fists up, ready to fight.

"What the hell do you want?!" The man screamed, also in a fighting stance.

"Stay away from here," Syaoran hissed. He made a move toward the man, but Sakura's sudden loud cry stopped him.

"Stop it! Stop it!" She sprung up from the bed and rushed to the man's side, trying to ignore Syaoran's hurt, betrayed face. She stood beside the man as he wound his arms around her and held her tightly, possessively. Like he owned her. She looked down at the ground as she felt the man's hands wander down to her bottom.

"Syaoran, please, just leave." She begged quietly.

"You heard the lady," the man growled. "Now fuck off, asshole."

His hands stopped on her butt and squeezed it. Sakura's eyes squeezed shut.

Syaoran growled. Before anyone could see, he was in the man's face. He drew back his arm and threw a hard punch toward his face. There was a snap as the man yelped loudly and clutched his face. He staggered back a few steps, and when he pulled back his hand, there was blood.

Syaoran had broken his nose.

"You bastard!" The man screamed. "You fu — !"

Syaoran placed his arm protectively around Sakura — not lustful, not possessive, just protectively — and pulled her close. He felt her shudder and stiffen, but thankfully leaned into him after moment. He picked up his coat off the ground and wrapped it around her; though it was wet, it was warmer than what she was wearing. He felt her head hesitantly fall on his shoulder, and subconsciously pulled her closer as he led her down the hall, through the main room and toward the door.

He had his hand on the door when he was suddenly stopped.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" The bartender yelled angrily.

Syaoran sighed in frustration and turned to see the man's face a bright purple from anger. He was fuming, his fists clenched tightly beside him and shaking.

"You can't just take my dancers home! I don't allow that kind of thing, and she's my best dancer! She stays here."

Syaoran's eyes narrowed coldly on the man. "This young lady is coming home with me, whether you like it or not. And she _won't_ be coming back."

Sakura looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak, but Syaoran looked down at her, his eyes soft and kind, and stopped her. "I won't let you come back here."

She closed her mouth and held his gaze for a moment more before leaning her head back on his shoulder. He was just so warm and comforting. How could she not let herself sink into his side?

Something about Syaoran's gaze stopped the bartender from going any farther as Syaoran turned around and led Sakura out of the building.

He kept her close, trying to keep her warm. The rain was still pouring down, heavy and cold, and what she was dressed in did nothing to keep her warm. He rubbed her arm, trying to warm her up with friction, as he led her to his car. He opened up the passenger door and waited for her to step in.

Sakura looked up at him, then down at the ground. She mumbled a 'thank you' and stepped in. Syaoran closed the door behind her and jogged over to the driver's side.

"Thank you," Sakura repeated quietly, not looking over at Syaoran as he pulled away from the curb. "You can just take me home. I live a few blocks away."

"I'm not taking you home," Syaoran told her sternly, but softly. "I'm bringing you to my place."

"Syaoran — "

"No, Sakura," Syaoran said a bit more sternly. He stopped at a red light and looked at her, his gaze both hard and loving. Angry and concerned. Stern and soft. "You're coming with me. End of story, alright? I'd feel...safer if you were with me."

And Sakura couldn't do anything but comply as he drove through the green light to continue toward his apartment.

**b.K.d**

"Here," Syaoran locked his apartment door behind him and held out his hand to Sakura. "Take off the jacket. It's soaking wet. Let me find something warmer for you. You can't be comfortable in...in what you're wearing."

Sakura blushed slightly but nodded. She shrugged out of the coat. He was right, the coat was soaking wet, but she was colder without it. As soon as the coat was off, she shuddered at the cool breeze that touched her skin. Though she tried to hide it from Syaoran; a futile attempt.

Syaoran frowned. "You're cold."

She shrugged. "It's nothing really. Don't worry about it."

"But I _do_ worry about it," Syaoran sighed quietly, not really expecting her to hear it. He missed her eyes widen and continued. "I'll go find you something. One second."

Before Sakura could protest, he was gone down the hall toward his bedroom. She sighed slightly and let her eyes drift around the place. It was nice, almost between an apartment and condominium. Maybe closer to a condominium; it was definitely nicer than a plain ol' apartment.

Hesitantly, she let herself in and made her way to the livingroom without many problems. She settled herself on the white leather sofa, her knees pressed nervously together. She could feel herself shaking, but whether it was from nerves or the cold was beyond her.

She didn't understand why she went with Syaoran so easily. She thought she was holding her own so well. And she didn't want for him to hurt her again; being hurt once by him was enough to last a lifetime. And although _he_ may not want her for sex, he wanted to 'fix her' when there was nothing wrong with her. She was simply taking her fate.

She sighed.

A few minutes later, Syaoran appeared in the livingroom. His eyes were wide and frantic, panicked even, but relaxed when he saw Sakura on the couch. He sighed, relieved, and walked over to her with a small bundle of clothing in his arms.

"I thought you had..." he stopped and sighed again, shaking his head.

It was only now that they were alone, away from the bar, that Syaoran really noticed what she was in; an emerald green bra a bit too tight for her breasts that covered really nothing much and a matching thong. Usually, a man would have a nosebleed over the sight and his pants would suddenly go tight. Or the younger Syaoran — scratch that, normal Syaoran — would be blushing furiously. But these definitely weren't normal circumstances. Syaoran was only concerned about how cold she had to be in the ridiculous garments.

He held out the clothes to Sakura. "I obviously don't have clothes that would fit you, but this should be alright until the morning."

Sakura nodded and slowly took the clothes. She stood and began pulling down her bra straps. Syaoran's eyes widened in a panic and he grabbed her hand to stop her. Sakura gave him a confused look.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" He managed to spit out.

Sakura looked at him like he was crazy. "Changing..."

"Not in here!" He told her sternly. He missed Sakura's wince to his harsh tone and began pulling her toward the hall again to the bathroom. He opened the door for her and waited for her to go in. When she didn't and looked somewhat scared, he sighed softly. His tone became softer. "Look, Sakura, I'm not mad. Not at all. But this isn't that so-called bar. This is _our _home, alright? You don't have to change out in the open like that."

Her eyes widened slightly as his voice echoed in her head. _Our home...Our home...Our home..._

She shook the thought out of her head and ducked into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and quickly changed. She pulled off her cold, wet undergarments and pulled on the large grey sweater and blue-and-green plaid flannel pajama bottoms.

She looked at the mirror at herself and blushed. Her makeup was smeared all along her face and her hair was in tangled knots. Her skin was pale, and she could see her cheekbones unhealthily sticking out. She was way too thin. Way too pale. When had this happened?

She picked up the comb and tried to work out the knots in her hair and after a bit sighed in frustration. Her hair was just too long and too ruined. She had so many deadends it wasn't even funny. It would all just have to come off.

So after she washed her face to rid the makeup, she picked up the pair of silver scissors from the basket beside the sink.

**b.K.d**

Syaoran watched as Sakura closed the door behind her and sighed softly. She had changed so much; he wanted his Sakura back. He wanted to see her childish face and bright emerald eyes light up. He wanted to see her sweet, true smile. He wanted to see her actually look happy and healthy.

He sighed again and began walking back down the hall. There was so much he wanted. So much he wanted to give her back. So much he wanted to fix; so much he wanted her to regain.

And he so much wanted to go back in time and fix all _his_ mistakes, so nothing of this would have happened.

He walked through the livingroom to the kitchen and flicked on the kettle and grabbed two mugs from the cupboard. He got the cocoa and sugar from the pantry and milk from the fridge, then lastly pulled a small pot down and placed it on the stove.

He began making his homemade hot-chocolate, just like he always used to for Sakura. Except in the past, it was for warmer reasons. It was because there was a thunderstorm outside and they were stuck inside. Or because it was snowing and cold outside, and they needed to warm up with a blanket around both of them, cuddling on the couch or in front of the fireplace. It was usually warm memories, happy memories. Memories with Sakura and Syaoran laughing, talking, smiling...

Syaoran's thoughts were interrupted with the light pitter-patter sound of Sakura's small feet beating lightly against the title floor of the kitchen. Syaoran turned to see her dressed in his university sweater and pajama bottoms. The sweater was large, of course, but was a comfy-cozy large. The pants, on the other hand, looked as though they'd irritate her. She had rolled up the cuffs — though they weren't staying rolled up — and Syaoran was sure she had to tie up the pull-string tight just to make they stay on her tiny waist.

But he smiled softly, seeing her face. She looked a bit more like his Sakura. Still much too thin and pale, and her eyes still didn't shine, but there it was. The natural, makeup-less beauty that she had always had. And her hair — he had to take a double take when he realized she must have cut it herself. It was short again, though not as short as in the past. It ended at her shoulders now. He made a mental note to get her hair cut professionally — was straight again and untangled.

Sakura blushed only slightly when she realized his eyes on her. Though there it was again; his gaze. Only the gaze he of all men could give her. Not the lustful stares she was used to, but the loving, caring gaze. Syaoran's gaze.

She touched the ends of her hair nervously. "The, umm...The knots wouldn't come out. I-I hope you don't mind I used your scissors. A-and..."

Syaoran shook his head with a soft sigh, not liking how uncomfortable she seemed to be around him now. He poured the hot-chocolate into the mugs and handed the first one to Sakura. She took it gingerly and held it tightly between her small, bone-chilled hands. He went to rest his hand on her shoulder, but she shied away from his touch. This made him frown slightly, but he still pulled away. It was almost as if she was repulsed by his touch.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura," he told her sincerely. "There's no need to apologize."

She nodded, but didn't move. He held his own mug firmly and continued. "There's a spare room but I don't have a bed set up in it. I'll set it up tomorrow, but for tonight you can take my room."

Sakura suddenly looked concerned. "But, what about you? A-and I know you work..."

Syaoran shook his head. "I can sleep on the couch." When she opened her mouth to protested, he smiled slightly and cut her off. "Don't worry about me. The couch is fine. As for work...Well, we all deserve a sick day once in a while, right?"

Sakura held his gaze for ten painful seconds before tearing her eyes away from his. "I can live in my apartment, Syaoran. I honestly don't need your pity or — "

"Pity?!" Syaoran spat angrily, making Sakura look back up at him. "Sakura, I would hardly do this out of pity. I can only imagine what your apartment must be like, though. And I can't stand to think of you living in such a place."

She frowned, "That's called pi — "

"I _want_ you to live with me," Syaoran told her softly, gently. "Sakura, please, I honestly want you to live with me. I want to take care of you."

Sakura looked up to search his eyes, searching for anything that might give him away. Any hint that he was lying, but there was nothing. She could only see true, sincere care for her. The thought of it was almost painful for her. Like a long, lost memory. It was the way he always used to look at her. Loving, caring, worrisome...

Sakura looked away in defeat. And in all honesty, she wanted to live with him too. Though she refused to admit it.

Syaoran smiled, seeing his win. "I'll call Tomoyo tomorrow to bring some clothes and things over. I don't want you going anywhere near that end of town. And I'll tell Eriol to tell everyone at work that I've come down with a nasty flu. That'll let me get a few days off, at least. But for now," he looked at her, love shining in his eyes. "For now, I think you need a decent sleep."

He led her to his bedroom at the end of the hall beside the bathroom. The walls were painted a crisp white, but in the centre was a large king-sized bed with gold and red sheets. Against the wall was a large dark wood desk with a Mac Notebook resting on top and papers scattered. A matching six-set of drawers rested against another wall along with a long, body-length mirror on the closet door. On both sides of the bed were bedside-tables; one with a glowing alarm clock and the other with nothing on it.

Syaoran walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers. Sakura lingered at the door for a moment longer, watching him look at her with sincere concern. She felt her heart racing at just the thought of sleeping in Syaoran's bed, even if he wasn't going to be in there with her. But the feeling made no sense; her heart did nothing like this with any guy all over her. It simply kept beating, one pump at a time. It never mattered before. It was simply her job. Simply answering what she was meant to do in life.

"Sakura?" Syaoran asked, frowning with concern when she didn't come over.

Sakura snapped out of her daze and walked over to him. She climbed into the bed as Syaoran pulled the blankets up over her up to her neck. He made sure she was completely tucked in before leaning down to kiss her forehead.

He was just above her forehead, so close that Sakura could feel his warm breath spread against her skin, when he paused. She shuddered at the warm breath, though it wasn't from disgust or cold. It was for a different reason completely.

He pulled away, remembering how she shied away from his touch earlier. He still had no right over her; no claims what so ever. In her eyes, he had left her and felt nothing for her anymore. It didn't matter how he behaved now. He still had to prove himself to her. Prove that he loved, and still did love, her. That he cared deeply for her. That he wanted her again, and not to sleep with. He simply wanted to be by her side.

He wanted her to be his, and no one elses.

"Good night," he choose to say instead of kissing for forehead. Then he turned around and left, closing the door behind him.

Leaving Sakura alone in the dark.

Again.

* * *

**Author's Note: YAAY! I even have this out earlier than Channukah!! That's amazing for me! LOL. **

**So because I won't be able to update until after Christmas, I wish everyone happy holidays!! Happy Channukah and Merry Christmas and all my wishes to all the other religous holidays! Now I have to wrap presents for Christmas and go spin some dreidles with my sister! ^.^ Happy Holidays everyone!! All the best!**

**Hoepfully, I'll update by the weekend. But only if I get 25 reviews ^.- so five for this chapter, please! More than five and I'll update before the weekend!!! **

_**Next Chapter: **Now what? Sakura's living with Syaoran, but now Syaoran has to prove that he loves her. Prove that Natsuo was wrong and that she can be loved, not just lusted for. And how will Eriol and Tomoyo react to this? Next time!! _

**XoX...Riva...XoX**


	7. Chapter 6: Life

**His Fallen Angel:  
_Chapter Six - Life_**

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Sakura woke up the next morning disoriented. It took her a few minutes to actually remember where she was; Syaoran Li's bedroom.

She sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest. She then buried her head into her blanket-covered knees and began to cry.

She was so stupid! He didn't love her. He would only be there for a bit, until he thought she was okay, and then he'd leave her again. It was merely pity. Merely his guilt for what had happened to her. He couldn't love her. No one could love her. No one...No one...

She _was_ broken. And dirty; forever unclean.

No one could love her. Ever.

There was a soft knock at her door. Before Sakura could even attempt to answer, the door slowly opened and in stepped Syaoran, holding a tray with food and tea. Sakura pulled her head up and quickly wiped away her tears, trying to hide any evidence of them. It was already too late though.

Syaoran rushed over to her side and dropped the tray onto the bedside table. He took a seat beside her and reached out to touch her hand, but quickly pulled back, remembering how she shied away from him the day before. "Sakura? Sakura?! What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and continued to wipe away her tears. "I'm f-fine. I...I just need to be alone."

"Fat chance on that, Sakura," Syaoran told her. "You need to talk about it. It's not..._healthy_ to be keeping all of it in. Especially for this long."

"I c-can't..."

"I'll listen." His voice was barely a whisper; soft and quiet. Begging, almost.

"I..." Sakura snuck a glance over to Syaoran to see him watching her, concerned. She sighed, knowing he was right. But how? She had never spoken to anyone about her past after Syaoran had left. Not even Tomoyo.

She closed her eyes and leaned over, letting her head rest on Syaoran's shoulder. She felt him stiffen underneath her and frowned. Was he so repulsed by her? But when she felt him relax and wrap his arm around her, pulling her close to him, she let the thought leave her mind.

"It was horrible after you left," she admitted in a mumble. "I was...and then there was...and he..." she couldn't even let herself say his name. Her voice became even softer. "He was horrible, Syaoran."

"I know," Syaoran sighed sadly, pulling her closer. "Tomoyo and Eriol told me about Hamada. He's a lying bastard, Sakura. Don't believe anything he said. I can't even believe that you took his words to heart in the first place! Do you honesty think no one could love you?"

"But..."

"Sakura," he said sternly. He pulled away so they were facing each other. Hesitantly, he reached out and placed a gentle hand under her chin so he could meet her gaze properly. He searched her eyes for a moment so she knew his words were honest. "Sakura, how could one not love you? You're beautiful, and smart, and funny...He lied to you, Sakura. Please believe me. I...I know people love you."

Sakura felt her eyes become damp and quickly her vision became fuzzy. Once the hot tears began rolling down her cheeks, there was no way to stop them. Her hands flew up to her face so she could cry into them, but then Syaoran had both arms around her. He pulled her onto his lap and held her close as she buried her head into his chest and sobbed.

All he could do was hold her. He tucked her head under his chin and drew small circles on her back while speaking soft, comforting words into her hair. Soothing her. Comforting her. Simply being there for her.

And at that moment, both realized something; they hadn't felt more complete than at that moment for years.

**b.K.d**

Tomoyo arrived around noon, beaming. She literally hurdled herself to Sakura and held her tight for five minutes straight, crying.

"Do you believe me now?" She kept repeating. "Do you?"

Sakura simply stood there, and after a moment, she began patting Tomoyo's back. When they were done, Tomoyo dried her tears and turned to Syaoran. She mouthed a 'thank you', which he simply replied to with a nod. He didn't do it for her; he did it for Sakura, of course.

Tomoyo smiled to Syaoran. "So if you can help me get the stuff from the truck, Syaoran, then — "

"Truck?!" Syaoran choked. He rushed over to the sliding glass door in the living room and looked out to the parking lot. Surely enough, there it was; a small moving truck.

"Of course," Tomoyo said, as if Syaoran was the one who was crazy. "She doesn't have anything, Syaoran. She's going to need a bed, dresser, mirror, and clothes. Oh, lots of clothes, of course."

Syaoran sighed, but nodded understandingly. Okay, so it made sense.

It took them half an hour to actually empty the truck, and then another three hours to set up Sakura's bedroom. Tomoyo began complaining about the plain white walls, saying they needed colour, but Syaoran shook his head. Sakura needed her bedroom set up **now**, not tomorrow after the paint dried.

When they were done, all three stood back to admire it. Syaoran smiled; he had to admit, Tomoyo did good. The bed, dresser and beside table were a dark cherry wood. An oval mirror rested above the dresser and a lamp and clock was already set up on the bedside table. Her sheets were various shades of pink, ranging from a soft rose to magenta.

It was perfect. Basically screaming the past Sakura.

By dinner time, Tomoyo had to leave. She worked at home, designing clothes, and had a project due the next day. She turned to leave, but not before hugging Sakura for another few minutes. Then she turned to Syaoran and, shocking him, hugged him as well.

"Please take care of her," she whispered in his ear, too low for Sakura to hear. "And don't screw this up."

Syaoran chuckled. "Thanks."

"Eriol's happy, too," she continued. "Though he won't tell you. He's still too ticked about the past, but you should have seen him after you called this morning to phone in sick. He was obviously thrilled."

Syaoran sighed and nodded. She pulled away, smiling, and gave Sakura another quick hug before leaving.

Hopefully, it was the beginning of Sakura's recovery.

**b.K.d**

The next morning, Syaoran decided to take Sakura downtown. He took the day off again, staying with the story of coming down with the flu, but still needed to get some more supplies to work at home. He didn't want to leave her home alone, after all.

Sakura slipped on a light jean jacket over her white tee then pulled on her shoes. She looked over to Syaoran with concerning eyes; both for herself and him.

She didn't like him missing work on her account. She didn't like him lying to his boss on her account. She didn't like feeling useless and vulnerable anymore.

But she was also worried for herself, though it may have sounded vain or selfish. Although she hadn't wanted to take Syaoran's pity — even if he _did_ deny any pity — in the first place, she suddenly felt herself doubting herself. She felt safe in Syaoran's apartment, surrounded by his four comforting walls. She didn't want to leave, even if for only an hour.

Syaoran slid on his own shoes and turned around to see Sakura lost in thought, chewing her bottom lip off. He sighed and walked closer to her. "You're going to be fine, Sakura. No one is going to touch you. Not while I'm there."

Sakura jumped slightly, too deep her in her thoughts. She looked up at him for a moment, then sighed softly and turned away. "I wasn't doubting that, Syaoran. Don't worry about that."

He frowned. "Then..."

Sakura shook her head. "Never mind. It's silly."

"No," hesitantly, though not as hesitantly as the previous day, he reached out and took her hand. He squeezed it reassuringly. "Nothing is silly if it's bothering you."

Sakura looked into his eyes for a moment more. His eyes shone with truth and sincerity. How could she not see it before? Even though, her voice was small and timid. "I feel safe here."

Syaoran squeezed her hand again, resisting the urge to pull her into a hug. "I'll be there. Don't worry."

Syaoran grabbed his pager and cell phone, then took Sakura's hand again and led her out of the apartment. He opened his car door for her and closed it when she stepped in, then got into his side and started the car. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the street; after all, downtown was only a four or five minute drive, tops.

Though Syaoran hadn't been downtown during the early afternoon for years now and forgot how busy it was. The place was crowded with shoppers out for the sunny Saturday. It took him nearly five minutes alone just to find a place to park.

Syaoran sighed heavily as he shifted the car's gear into park and turned off the engine. "Stay close by, alright? I didn't realize how busy it would be, and the office supply store is on the other side downtown." Syaoran gave her a small sheepish smile, "Sorry I couldn't park closer."

Sakura gave him a weak smile. It wasn't a completely genuine smile, but it was definitely truer than her previous smiles. "Walking is...healthy."

Syaoran gave a small laugh then got out and opened her car door. He reached for her hand and held onto it tightly, worried about losing her.

It didn't take them terribly long to get to the office shop; or at least, not as long as Syaoran had thought it would take them. The shop itself was, thankfully, not extremely full. Syaoran was quickly able to get the things he needed. And after grabbing a to-go coffee from the cafe next door, the two decided to make their way back to the car.

Sakura used both hands to cup her coffee, enjoying it's warmth. It was sunny out, but not hot. There was a chilling breeze through the air. The coffee comforted that chill.

Syaoran's gaze kept grazing over to her, always anxious and afraid. He didn't like not holding her hand. He felt as though she could easily get lost without him guiding her. She was just so small, so fragile...He had to make sure she stayed close. Stayed by him.

Halfway back to the car, Sakura tripped. She easily caught herself but dropped her coffee in the process. When she looked down, she quickly found the problem; her shoe was untied. She gave a small sigh.

"Shoot..." she mumbled to herself. She stopped without thinking and kneeled down to tie her sneaker, getting angry comments from people; they were obviously angry with her for blocking their way on the sidewalk.

When she stood again, she felt her heart give out. Panic seized her body as her frantic eyes searched through the crowds.

Syaoran was no where in sight. He was gone.

She hadn't warned him that she had stopped.

He had been swallowed up by the heavy crowds.

Sakura's breathing became rough and uneven. Her body froze up; but he'd come back for her, right? He'd realize that she was missing, right? He had to. He had to...

"Miss? Oi, miss...are you alright?"

Sakura jumped at the concerned-seeming voice that spoke behind her. She spun around, her hand coming to rest above her racing heart, to see two young men standing behind her, both between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. They were both dressed in comfortable clothing, jeans and a tee. One had black hair and blue eyes while the other had mahogany coloured short hair and brown eyes.

When she turned to face them, the short-haired man's eyes widened. He elbowed his friend without taking his eyes off Sakura.

"Psst! Don't you recognize her?" He asked.

The second guy scrunched his eyebrows up together, confused. "Ahh...no?"

"Dude!" The first one said in frustration. "How can you not remember that face? Those eyes?!"

The friend squinted, making Sakura uncomfortable. She took a step back, but otherwise was frozen in her spot.

He'd come back for her...He'd come back...He'd realize...He'd come back...

The second man's eyes suddenly widened. He nodded vigourously. "Yes...Yes! How'd I not see that?"

The first one smiled, but the glaze in his eyes made Sakura shudder. She had seen that look only too many times not to see what it was.

The first man reached out his hand politely. "I'm Akira, and this is Hoshi. And you..." his smiled widened "are Blossom, aren't cha?"

Sakura's eyes widened, but she quickly tried to calm her expression. She tried to pull her hand back, but Akira quickly grabbed it and held tightly, making her wince. She shook her head, "I...I'm sorry. I have no idea what you're talking about. That's not my name."

Akira chuckled. "Aww, c'mon Blossom. You don't need to lie. We know who you are, but don't worry," he winked, "we won't tell a sole."

"B-But I'm n — !"

The man suddenly tugged on her arm and pulled her away from the crowd. He dragged her to the alleyway two stores down, his friend quickly in toll. Both had smug similes on their face, eyes clouded with lust. Once in the safety of the alleyway, Akira shoved Sakura up against the wall, his hands taking a tight grasp on her upper-arms. She winced.

"Don't try and play dumb," Akira said huskily. He leaned in and ran his nose down her neck and along her shoulder. Sakura shuddered; he chuckled. "You even smell like her. So sweet..."

When he bit down on her shoulder, Sakura let out a small whimper. Hoshi, who was standing behind Akira, suddenly looked worried. "Are you sure that's her? Blossom was more playful...Maybe we have, you know, the wrong girl..."

"No," Akira placed wet kissed up her neck toward her ear. "This is her. I'd recognize this lil' beauty anywhere."

Akira nibbled on her earlobe, ignoring her shaking, as his hand began to go to work on her shirt. He pushed his hand past the hem of her shirt and cupped her breast, making her whimper again.

"What's wrong? You liked it last time," he told her with a chuckle.

"Please..." she begged. "I'm not...not this g-girl..."

"Akira..." Hoshi said in a warning tone. "Maybe..."

"Shut up!" Akira growled. "You'll have your chance in a min — !"

Suddenly, a hard fist was thrown against his cheek. The action took him by surprise and threw him off the girl. Sakura sighed in relief as she felt the pressure of the man leave. Akira clutched his jaw, rubbing it while swearing both loudly.

Syaoran took a stance in front of Sakura, his fists up, his eyes narrowed and murderous while flickering between both men. A low growl escaped his throat. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Bastard!"

Akira continually rubbed his jaw, his eyes also venomous. "Well, obviously nothing now..."

"Stay away from her, you hear me?" Syaoran yelled angrily. "You have no right to touch her!"

"All men have every damn reason to touch her!" Akira yelled back. "She's a fucking slut!"

Syaoran's venomous glare deepened, much farther than anger. "Don't you dare call her that!"

"What are you, her boyfriend?" Akira asked. Then a wide smirk spread across his face. "Ah, but maybe you don't know what the lovely Blossom does behind your back..."

"This girl has no name of that sorts," Syaoran growled. "Obviously, neither of us know what the hell you're talking about. So you stay the hell away from my fiancee."

Sakura and Akira's eyes widened. He all but choked out the word, "F-Fiancee..?"

"C'mon," Hoshi nudged to Akira, placing his hand on Akira's shoulder which he shook off. He sighed. "Let's just go before the guy kills us, alright?" He turned to Syaoran, though his eyes weren't completely sincere. "We apologize for the misunderstanding."

The two men left, leaving Sakura and Syaoran alone. Syaoran watched them with careful eyes as they rounded the corner and disappeared in the crowd again. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, before turning his softened, apologetic gaze to Sakura behind him.

Her eyes remained wide. "Fi...Fiancee?"

Syaoran blushed, though it went unnoticed within the dark of the alleyway. He cursed mentally; blushing? What was he, a school boy? No!

"Err, sorry...quick thinking. That was...That was over the line. I'm sorry."

Sakura felt her heart sink, disappointed, though she hardly knew why. Sure, she had dreamed of being engaged to Li Syaoran since they had began going out back before junior high, but now? No, he was the boy who had abandoned her. Broken her heart. She had loved him, but never again. Never again would he break her.

She turned away. "No, I understand. Thank you...f-for coming to my rescue."

Syaoran sighed loudly. "And I owe you another apology."

Sakura frowned and looked up at him. "Huh? Why?"

Syaoran held her gaze for a moment, then took both of her small hands into his own. He brought them together, then brought them up to his lips gently; not in a loving or lustful way, but simply in a caring way. As if they were friends.

He closed his eyes and whispered against her skin, "I broke my promise. I promised that, with me around, nothing would happen to you."

"Syaoran, it isn't you fault..." She began, blushing.

"But it is," he pulled her hands away and met her gaze. "I should have been keeping a closer eye on you. If I had...They wouldn't have taken advantage of you if I was there, Sakura. I am so sorry. So, so sorry..."

Sakura pulled her hands away from Syaoran, much to his disappointment. Had he offended her with the gentle kiss? But before he could ask and apologize again, she lifted her hands and placed one small hand on either side of his face. She held his face gently and forced him to meet her gaze.

"I'm fine, Syaoran," she whispered. She sighed when she saw the familiar glint in his eyes, indicating that he didn't believe her. She closed her eyes and dropped her hands, then leaned forward and let her head fall onto his chest. "Really, I'm alright. Thank you."

Syaoran sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her toward him. He cradled her head between his chin an chest, loving her nearness. "I'm glad."

And, although he couldn't see it, Sakura smiled, also loving their close embrace.

Her first, completely true and genuine smile. And Syaoran hadn't even seen it.

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**Author's Note: Thank you so much for your reviews, everyone!! They mean the world to me, especially right now. There's just a lot of crap going on in my life right now, and although it sounds lame and cliche or whatever, the reviews help. So thank you...I got my fifth review in today (YAAY! My Christmas present ^.^) and so I decided to return the present, as today in December 25th!!! So Merry Christmas, everyone, and happy fourth day of Chanukah!!**

**Oh, and I've decided to change something from Chapter Four, and I apologize for it. I've updated the chapter to go with these changes. Sakura will NOT have the card. This story is officially AU. Sorry and thanks.**

**PLEEEEASE review!! If I get _MORE_ than five reviews, I'll update by the weekend!! So please please please put in these reviews!**

**_Up Next...It's a month after Syaoran has taken in Sakura, and things finally seem to be going right. She smiles, she laughed...There's just one thing missing that she realizes she is actually missing when an unwelcomed guest points it out. Can this possibly be the final turning point for the struggling Sakura? READ SOON!!  
_**


	8. Chapter 7: Doubt

**His Fallen Angel:  
Chapter Seven - Doubt**

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It was almost exactly a month since Syaoran had removed Sakura from the bar and taken her into his home. Syaoran was glad to say that Sakura was seeming more and more like herself again. A few days after their first venture downtown, she had smiled at him. Not a fake smile, but a bright and genuine smile. And since then, he swore that her eyes seemed brighter. Much more alive and vibrant. Much more her.

He had missed a week of work, and then had to go back. His boss wasn't pleased with the amount of time that Syaoran had taken off and Syaoran found himself working double time just to make it up. He would stay at the office until his boss left anywhere between eleven and midnight, and then bring his work home and stay up for another few hours to work. He felt safe leaving Sakura home alone since she was becoming herself again, but it didn't mean he liked leaving her. He felt safer being closer to her.

It was actually the previous night that Sakura had actually scolded him for staying up so late, working. She had ordered him to bed, and when he didn't, she was stubborn enough to stay up with him. Though she didn't last; she fell asleep an hour later, her head resting on Syaoran's shoulder. He had carried her to bed and tucked her in, smiling.

So when Syaoran woke up the next morning to see Sakura wearing his apron in the kitchen cooking breakfast, a small pout on her face, he couldn't help but laugh. Sakura crossed her arms playfully across her chest and gave a small _hmph_.

"So much for staying up with you," she mumbled. She gave a small sigh and turned toward the stove to flip the eggs. "Sorry. I really did want to stay awake. You're working way too hard..."

Syaoran gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's this case I'm stuck on. Besides, you've never been able to stay awake for too long..."

He paused to see if he hit a sore spot with her, since he had brought up her past. But she didn't react badly. In fact, she gave a small laugh of her own; music to his ears. "Yeah, you're right. Dang..."

Sakura served their breakfast and placed their two plates onto the table. She was proud of herself. Although Syaoran had been against her cooking and cleaning at first, claiming that he wanted to take care of her, she had convinced him differently. She didn't want to feel helpless and useless anymore. She needed something to do, especially since she was jobless.

And what she hadn't told Syaoran yet was that she was actually thinking about going back to school to get her teaching degree. She wasn't sure if she was going to go through with it just yet, which was why she kept it quiet from him. But she wanted to. She had always had a passion to teach young children.

Syaoran swallowed the last of his meal and stood up with his plate. He checked down at his watch and mentally cussed; he was running late. He ran and slid his plate into the sink, then rushed back to his room to grab his tie. He skidded back into the dinning room where Sakura still ate while trying to tie his tie.

"Thanks for breakfast," he said quickly, having difficulties with his tie from his clumsy fingers. He was slightly shaking due to pressure of being late. "It was great! Thanks."

Sakura giggled, seeing him struggling with his tie. She stood up, shaking her head. "Here," she brushed his hands away and began carefully tying his tie properly. "Let me, you goof."

Syaoran sighed and eased up to let her do her work, a smile on his face. She looked so peaceful, so alive again. It was everything; her now brighter eyes, her genuine smile, her small but not too small frame (since she had now gained back the proper amount of weight) and beautiful, healthy glow to her skin. He had taken her to the salon a week before, and she got almost the same hairstyle from her childhood, but a bit longer. She looked healthy. She looked happy. She looked like Sakura.

"There," she patted the delicate knot at the base of his neck proudly. "All done."

Syaoran mumbled a thanks, smiling, making Sakura look up at him.

They were so close; she could feel his minty breath along her face. All he had to do was lean down and let his lips brush with hers...or she just had to stand on her tip-toes...

Sakura found herself biting her bottom lip, part of her hoping that he'd lean down. The only thing he would do was hold her hand, cuddle with her or (rarely) kiss her hand, cheek or forehead. Little things that made her know he cared, but she wanted more. She wanted what they had before.

She found herself blush slightly; but was she ready for that?

Syaoran cleared his throat, making Sakura removed her hands from his tie. He smiled down at her, not noticing anything wrong. He grabbed his blazer on the back of his chair from the table and quickly hugged her.

"Have a good day, Sakura. Don't try and wait up for me," he traced the circles under her eyes with a sigh. "And maybe take a nap today."

"I need to go to the store," she informed him, her heart rate speeding up. "We don't have anymore milk or bread."

"Alright, money's in the tin above the stove," Syaoran reminded her. He turned and led her away from the dinning room, toward the door. He opened it and turned back to smiled one last time, "Have a good day."

Sakura smiled. "Umm, yeah. You too."

When he was gone, Sakura headed straight to the kitchen to clean up their mess. She removed the apron and hung it up, then turned on the small kitchen-sized radio. Then she quickly did the dishes and wiped down the stove, table and counters. When she was happy with her job, she headed to her room to change for the day.

In her opinion, Tomoyo had brought over way too many clothes. And every few days, she'd bring over more or decide to take Sakura out shopping. She said it was a self-esteem thing; if you look good, you'd feel good. And Sakura really had no energy to argue; if it made her friend happy, it was the least she could do.

She pulled on a pair of faded-wash jeans, a rose-pink tee and a green zip-up sweater. Then she grabbed some money from Syaoran's 'shopping tin', so he called it, and shoved it into her purse with her keys. On Syaoran's request, she also carried a cell phone — a pink Motorola Razr — and slid it into her pocket. She slipped on her black flats and left for the grocery store.

**b.K.d**

Sakura frowned, looking at the two red peppers in her hands. They were the only two red peppers left, but neither looked good. She was planning to make a nice stir-fry for dinner and knew how much Syaoran liked his peppers. And there were no yellow peppers, and she didn't want to go with green; there was already enough green in the stir-fry. And as silly as it sounded, she wanted colour in the food.

She gave a heavy sigh and put them both back. Maybe they had some pre-bagged peppers. She would have rather have the fresh, but she would take what she could get.

She went to put them back but the one slipped from her hand and rolled to the floor. She gave a small groan of annoyance and went to get it, bending down to reach for it on the ground, but another hand beat her to it. A hand smaller, bonier and paler than her own.

"Thank..." She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was standing in front of her with the pepper.

The blond girl smirked and stood back up, placing the pepper back into it's basket. Sakura slowly stood, her whole body numb. She suddenly felt nervous, though the girl never intimidated her before. Just made her angry or frustrated.

"H-Hello, Kandi...how are you?" Sakura asked timidly.

Kandi smiled oh-to-sweetly. "Blossom, hun! Oh, I've missed you so much!"

Sakura frowned. "You...did?"

"Of course," Kandi said, sounding offended. "We all miss you." She paused, her face lightly up. "I know, how about you come back! Yeah! We can go right now. I have my car, and I'm sure uncle would be more than happy to take you back. After all, it was that man's fault that you left and — "

Sakura cut her off, shaking her head. "I don't want to go back. And if it wasn't for Syaoran's decision..." she sighed and shook her head again. "No, I'm not going back."

Kandi pursed her lips. Well, so much for the nice-girl routine. Her uncle would not stop whining and complaining about the lack of business due to Blossom's disappearance. She was sick of his crap, and she would get the girl to come back just to make him shut up, even if she didn't like her.

Her lips moved into a tight line. "You belong with us."

Sakura's nervousness disappeared and in it's place was anger. The old anger for the girl suddenly resurfaced. "No, I don't. I belong with..."

She stopped herself, her eyes going huge. Did she just admit that she belonged with Syaoran? No...she couldn't have feelings for him again. He had hurt her. He could do it again. She had locked up all feelings to him.

But earlier, she had wanted him to kiss her...

Her eyes remained large in the realization of it all.

Kandi caught this slip-up and laughed. "You....you _love_ this boy? Are you kidding? You? Him? _Love_?" She laughed harder seeing Sakura's hands tighten into angry fists. "Sorry girl, but girl like us can't love. We weren't made to be loyal. We simply give. We can't — "

"I'm. Not. **You**." Sakura spat between clenched teeth.

Kandi smirked as she looked over Sakura from head to toe, "Obviously." When Sakura's eyes deepened with poison, Kandi continued with a small shrug. "I'm just looking out for you."

"You're kidding, right?" Sakura scoffed, not used to the violence that suddenly flowed through her. She was used to being annoyed and angry with Kandi, but never violent. Yet at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to punch the girl's lights out.

Kandi shrugged again. "Look, Blossom...he's a guy. All guys are pigs. He took you from our bar, in nothing but your undergarments and..." she paused and pursed her lips to stop herself from smiling. "And I bet you live with him, right? It explains how you look. Almost...clean. But," she smirked with a small, amused laugh. "Girls like us will never be clean. Girls like us will never be loved. Girls like us — "

"Syaoran's different!" Sakura yelled, attracting attention to the two.

"Sure he is," Kandi rolled her eyes. "But if you're so sure that he isn't a _pig, _then he's the other kind of guy. The monsterous kind. The ones that will welcome you, 'love' you, 'help' you...and then drop you. Let you get rained on. Let you fall. Again and again and again."

Kandi smirked seeing Sakura's face drain colour. The doubt that clouded Sakura's eyes was priceless. She smiled sweetly. "You see what I mean then?"

"He...no, he's different now. He wouldn't. Not again..."

"He's already done this?" Kandi laughed. "And you're letting him do it again? Stupid, Blossom. Real stupid."

Sakura winced. How many times had she known she was stupid for letting him in again? For letting him close again. For....For forgiving him.

"Don't you see?" Kandi said a bit softer, a bit sweeter. She reached forward and wrapped her cold fingers around Sakura's hands. Sakura didn't look up. Kandi played the innocently-sweet card. "You belong with us, Blossom. Your family. The only girls that will ever understand you."

Sakura looked up at her, tears lodged in her throat. Syaoran...would...leave her again? Hurt her again? But...But she knew this already. Deep down, she knew this already. And yet, it hurt. It hurt so much.

Kandi continued. "Come home with me, Blossom."

The next emotion that struck Sakura: Anger. She yanked her hands away from Kandi. "I won't ever go back there. No man will ever use me again."

Kandi frowned, angry herself. "Then where the hell will you go? You don't belong anywhere then, you whore. No one will want you. You'll be alone. All alone!"

"I don't care," Sakura mumbled, looking away. "But I won't go back there."

And before Kandi could respond, Sakura dropped her basket of groceries and ran out of the store, ignoring all the bewailed looks she was getting.

And the tears freed themselves again.

**b.K.d**

Syaoran drove home, smiling, though it could be claimed as a sick-reason for being so happy. It was only nearing two o'clock in the afternoon, and he was driving home. There was a fire in the building and everyone had to be evacuated. His office wasn't harmed, but the smoke damage was enough that the fire department needed a few hours to clean it out. And so everyone had just been sent home. No one was hurt, so it wasn't _that_ sick to smile, right? Syaoran got to go home to Sakura...his Sakura. How could he not **smile**?

He planned to make dinner for her that night, giving her a break from cooking. He knew that she enjoyed cooking, but he also remembered a particular Chinese recipe he used to make for her that she adored. He was hoping to surprise her.

So after picking up the needed ingredients, he drove home. He unlocked the door to his apartment, still smiling radiantly. He locked the door behind him, but it was quiet in the house. He chuckled; knowing Sakura, she was probably clutching some kind of weapon, thinking that he was a burglar.

"Sakura, it's me!" He called out happily. "I'm home early. Can you believe it?"

No response.

After a moment, Syaoran frowned. Was she gone to the store? But no, he would have ran into her while he had been there...right?

He made his way to the kitchen to put his groceries away. He called out for her again, and again got no response. He picked up the phone and dialled her cell, but it only rang continuously. No response. Dead.

Panic crept up inside him. What if someone else recognized her from the bar when she went out? He could see the difference; she looked so different from a month before. A healthy weight, no longer pale, bright eyes, a new hair style...Who could possibly recognize her? But what if...what it...

There was a sudden, high pitched scream. The scream didn't belong to Sakura, but nevertheless, it still made his blood run cold. He rushed to the back sliding-glass door and threw it open to run out onto the balcony. He looked down to see a small group, maybe four or five people, standing close by. The one woman had her one hand clasped over her mouth, pointing up at the roof. Syaoran followed her finger to see what was startling them all.

His heart froze. His breathing stopped. His blood turned to ice. The world stopped turning.

Or at least, it should have.

There, standing on the edge of the roof, was Sakura, her unzipped sweater flapping in the wind along with her straggly hair. She seemed not to notice those below her, especially Syaoran.

He wanted to call out to her, but his voice stuck in his throat. He saw her shift, as if she was about to jump, and hurled back into the house. He didn't bother closing the door and bolted toward the front door, down the hall and up the stairs to the top floor two levels above. He had no time or patience for the damn elevator. He threw open the door that led to the roof, his breathing rapid and raspy.

Where Sakura stood and where the sun was position created a soft glow around her body, making her seem like an angel. She didn't seem to take any notice to Syaoran, as she stood on the small ledge of the roof.

Syaoran cleared his throat, trying to find his voice. It ended up being rough and raspy. "Don't...Sakura, please, don't."

Sakura froze then whipped around. The appearance of her tore Syaoran's heart in half. Her hair was a mess. Her makeup was smeared. Tears, both fresh and dried, stained her red cheeks. Her eyes seemed wild and mixed-emotional.

She was a wreck.

Syaoran slowly took another step toward her, placing about five metres between them. He stretched out his hand, his eyes pleading. "Sakura...Sakura, please, step back. Step back from the edge, Sakura. Please..."

Sakura shook her head. "I...I can't do it anymore. I don't belong anywhere. I'm a no one. I don't belong with my family; I'm too filthy for them. They don't know it, but I'm not worthy. I can't be with the girls at the bar; I don't want to go back. I hated it there. And I...And I definitely don't belong with you; you're too good. You deserve better..."

"Stop talking crazy, Sakura," Syaoran begged. He slowly closed the gap between them by a metre. "Please, let me talk to you. Just step down..."

She shook her head. "You deserve better, and you know it. That's why you'll leave me. You'll hurt me again, because you know this. You know you can't be with me..."

"Sakura, please..." He took another few slow steps. "I'm begging you, Sakura. Don't do this. Please. Don't. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" A timid laugh escaped her mouth. When Syaoran tried to protest again, she shook her head. She looked up at him, soft tears rolling down her cheeks. She smiled softly; at least he, her only love, was the last thing she got to see. That was a bonus, in a sick, twisted way. She took a tiny step back, placing her heels over the edge. "I can't do this...I'm sorry."

"_**NO**_!" Syaoran screamed hysterically as Sakura made the smallest movement of throwing herself off the edge.

He hurdled himself toward her, taking the remaining three metres in two fast steps. He threw his arms around her and resisted her struggling enough to throw both of them away from the edge. He took the brunt of the heavy fall, falling onto his back with Sakura held tightly against him, but the force of the fall made them roll over so Syaoran was above her. Screams were heard beneath them from the street.

He fought against her struggling, fought against her demand to just let her go.

"Let me go!" She screamed at him, pounding her fists on his chest. "This is my decision, dammit! Let me go! Let me go! Let me — !"

"No..." Syaoran said in a shaky voice, his breathing ragged again. He sat up, pulling Sakura along with him, and pulled her closer. He placed one firm hand on the back of her head so he was forcing her to rest her head on his shoulder, while his other hand pressed against her back to hold her still. His arms constricted her, not letting her get away.

"No..." he repeated, tears building up in his eyes. He felt Sakura give up her pounding when the quiet sounds of his tears filled her ears. When she calmed down, he pulled her even closer. The tears kept trickling down his cheeks softly, slowly. His voice cracked. "No, Sakura...No. I won't let go. I'll never let go of you. No now, not ever. Never again."

"You should have let me fall!" She screamed, trying to push herself away from him. Though not as much effort was put in this time; she simply placed her hands on his shoulders and tried to pry herself away from him.

Syaoran tightened his grip on her. His voice was merely a harsh whisper that would have gone unheard if not for how close the two were. "I can't."

"Yes, you ca — !"

"I love you."

Both suddenly went silent as the wind carried his soft, sincere words.

_I love you..._

* * *

_Author's Note: WOW!! Thanks to everyone who reviews! I asked for more than five, and I got more than five in the first 24hrs after being posted! I can't tell you all how much that means to me. I'm glad you all like it so far and I promise good things after this ^.^_

**I'm not going to start being greedy with my reviews, so I'll keep it like last time ^.^ MORE than five reviews, and I'll update Monday or Tuesday (for me, it's Saturday right now). So in two or three days ^.^ But I need more than five reviews, please and thank you.**

**Thanks again everyone!! The reviews really brighten my day, even if that does sound cheesy. It's the only 'reward' I, as a writer, get. So thank you so much.**

**XoX...Riva**

_Next Time: Syaoran's finally admitted it; he loves Sakura. But how will she react? Can she still possibly doubt him? Is it time to start fresh, again? Let's just say that it's going to be a long journey, but at least she has him, her only true love, with her for every step, and stumble, along the way. _

_Oh, and course ^.- Kandi will need to be taken care of..._


	9. Chapter 8: Beginning

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own the song "The Reason" by Hoobastank. All rights go to the song's artist. I am merely a listener who fell in love with the song._

* * *

_**His Fallen Angel:  
**__Chapter Eight – Beginning_

* * *

"You should have let me fall!" Sakura screamed, trying to push herself away from Syaoran.

Syaoran tightened his grip on her. His voice was merely a harsh whisper that would have gone unheard if not for how close the two were. "I can't."

"Yes, you ca — !"

"I love you."

Sakura froze in every way; her breathing caught in her throat and her heart stopped beating. After a few seconds of simply listening to Syaoran's heavy breathing in her ear, her heart started up again but was beating double the pace as before. Her hands stayed glued to his shoulders and slowly curled, scrunching up the fabric of his shirt in her fists.

"I love you," he repeated, his voice a bit steadier. "Dammit, Sakura, _I love you_!"

Sakura tried to pull away, but Syaoran tightened his grip around her. She sighed softly and gently patted his one shoulder, trying to tell him she wouldn't run. After a moment, he seemed to understand and loosened his arms. Sakura pulled away enough to look in his eyes, searching for distrust. Searching for his lie. Looking for something to give him away. But all she could see was honesty and truth, his eyes deep with only one emotion for her.

"You're...You're...You're serious?" She asked quietly.

Syaoran sighed and closed his eyes, then let his forehead fall onto Sakura's. He was whispering again, pleading with her. "I love you, Sakura. The feeling never went away. Please..._Please_, don't leave me."

"Syaoran..." Sakura also whispered, catching his attention. He looked back up at her, his eyes quickly meeting her own. She lifted a shaking hand and gently placed it on Syaoran's cheek. He sighed at the warm touch and leaned into it, gently taking her wrist into his hand.

"You're wrong; it's not that you don't deserve my love. _I_ don't deserve _your_ love." Syaoran whispered softly. "I've hurt you, I know, and I don't deserve your love. But if there's....there's any way, any way at all, that you can return my feelings, if only a bit, then..."

Sakura couldn't speak, her body still too full of shock. So she cut him off the only way she could; she kissed him.

She leaned down and brushed her lips with his briefly, then pulled away slightly. She moved to sit up right again, but Syaoran leaned up slightly to capture her lips in much more than their previous brush. He began moving his lips slowly, sweetly with hers, and Sakura joined in without giving it a second thought. She sat up on her knees between his legs and grabbed his hair, wanting to roughen the kiss but kept up with his pace instead. His sweet, slow, loving pace.

**b.K.d**

Sakura woke up the next morning feeling different. As cliché as it sounded, she felt whole. She felt blissful and happy; as if it was her first love again. A large smile spread across her face as she closed her eyes.

He loved her. He actually loved her.

And she loved him.

She flew off the covers and slid on her slippers then ventured out into the hallway. She caught the scent of something cooking and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes blissfully. Syaoran was cooking something in the kitchen, and suddenly she felt her mouth watering. She followed the scent toward the kitchen, but stopped outside of the room, not wanting to interrupt his husky, deep-in-though voice.

He was singing. She smiled, loving the sound of his perfect, sleep-filled voice.

_I'm not a perfect person  
There's many things I wish I didn't do  
But I continue learning  
I never meant to do those things to you  
And so I have to say before I go  
That I just want you to know_

_I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
and the reason is you_

Sakura's eyes widened slowly as she listened to the lyrics of his song. She felt tears begin to build up in her throat just from how sincere he sang the precious song.

_I'm sorry that I hurt you  
It's something I must live with everyday  
And all the pain I put you through  
I wish that I could take it all away  
And be the one who catches all your tears_

And Sakura did find herself crying, despite herself. The tears didn't stay lodged in her throat and quickly built up behind her eyes before slowly seeping down her cheeks. She clasped her hand over her mouth, trying to muffle the sound of her crying. She didn't want Syaoran to hear; didn't want Syaoran to stop.

_That's why I need you to hear_

_I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
and the reason is you  
and the reason is you  
and the reason is you  
and the reason is you_

_I'm not a perfect person  
I never meant to do those things to you  
And so I have to say before I go  
That I just want you to know  
_

_I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
And the reason is you_

_I've found a reason to show  
A side of me you didn't know  
A reason for all that I do  
And the reason is you_

She waited a few second after his last words died out in the air, giving herself time to compose herself, before she stepped into the kitchen and found him standing in front of the stove. She made sure there was no evidence of her tears as she walked up to him and wrapped her tiny arms around him, blushing.

Syaoran gave a small surprised gasp, having not heard her come in, but smiled at feeling her so close. He gave a small chuckle as he wrapped his hand around her own located on his torso. "Good morning, sweetheart."

Sakura let go of him so she could move to stand beside him. She smiled up at him. "Good morning."

He returned the smile and wrapped an arm around her to pull her into his side. Unwillingly, he turned away from her bright, cheerful face to go back to cooking breakfast. With his free arm, he held a spatula which he proceeded to use and flip the contents in the frying pan.

Sakura looked down at the frying pan then back up to Syaoran, grinning. "Pancakes?"

Syaoran blushed slightly and smiled nervously. "They were your favourite, if I remember correctly."

Sakura nodded happily. "Always."

She slipped away from him and practically skipped toward the fridge to get the syrup and butter, then grabbed two plates and two forks to set the table. Syaoran joined her at the table as she was laying the forks down by the plates. He stopped behind her and reached down to place the plate of hot pancakes down on the table, then leaned down and gently kissed her cheek from behind her. He pulled away with a loving smile and took his seat as Sakura took hers.

When she was done buttering her pancake and pouring tons upon tons of syrup on, Syaoran reached across and took her hand. She looked up at him, surprised, to see him smiling at her. He held her hand comfortably, lovingly, while caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I love you," he whispered, as if she doubted him. But in truth, it was the one thing he feared. That she'd still doubt him.

She smiled softly at him, blushing slightly. With his simple words, her heart began beating a little bit quicker. Her eyes shone a little bit brighter. She pushed her plate and fork closer to him, then before her could ask her what she was doing since he was obviously confused, she got up from her seat and sat sideways on his lap. She brushed her lips briefly with his before closing her eyes and sighing softly, then let her head fall onto his shoulder. She felt him wrap his one arm around her waist firmly, lovingly.

"I love you, too."

**b.K.d**

Tomoyo walked through the doors of the loud-music filled place, her eyes burning with venom. When she had gotten the phone call from Syaoran telling her what Sakura had done (though at the time, Sakura herself was safe and asleep), the only thing that stopped Tomoyo from her current actions was Eriol. But now that he was at work, there was nothing he could do to stop her.

A man, probably the bar's owner, walked over to her with a large grin on his face. He looked up and down her, grinning hungrily. Tomoyo resisted the urge to slap him; she'd save her energy for the moment coming up.

"Well now, how can I help you today?" He asked in a supposedly sexy voice.

Tomoyo just smiled sweetly. "I'm actually here to see my friend, Kandi."

The man eyed her skeptically, but turned around to find the girl, mumbling to himself. He walked over to a blond dressed in a baby blue bra and short jean skirt. She was leaning over, her hands rested on her knees as she spoke to a man. When the bartender approached her and explained what was going on, the blond shot a glance to Tomoyo and frowned. The confusion was sketched across her face, but she still left her current job and made her way over to Tomoyo.

She crossed her arms across her chest tightly and pursed her lips. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can," Tomoyo smiled sweetly. Then, too quickly and too unexpectant for Kandi to see, she drew back her hand and slapped Kandi's cheek, hard.

Kandi gave a gasp of pain and clutched her cheek, staggering back a few steps. She looked up at Tomoyo, both anger and surprise written across her face. She drew back her hand from her cheek for examination, her eyes widening on the spot of blood on her fingers.

Her eyes, filled with venom, shot back up to Tomoyo. "You...You...You _bitch_!"

"Don't you dare come anywhere near 'Blossom' again, do you understand?! You've done enough to her." Tomoyo hissed angrily.

"I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"You're lucky she didn't jump," Tomoyo told her furiously, hatred pouring from her eyes. "If she had, you'd be answering to a lot more than that little slap."

With that, she spun on her heels and walked out of the bar, leaving a very stunned Kandi.

**b.K.d**

Syaoran took the day off, again. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving Sakura alone after the events of the previous day, though he knew he'd have to eventually. She was against him staying home, promising him that she wouldn't do anything stupid again, but he turned her down.

"I don't think you will anymore," he told her gently as he pulled her down onto the couch next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "I just want the day off with you."

"But that case..."

"Is a lost one," he shrugged. "There never was anything to it. The guy is screwed."

Sakura frowned with concern, but when Syaoran assured her with his smile, she gave up and snuggled into his side. She smiled, feeling his arm tighten lovingly around her as he rested his lips on top of her head.

"So what now then?" She whispered, peering up at him.

"Now," he leaned down to brush his lips across Sakura's. "Now, we talk."

She frowned. "About...?"

He smiled. "Anything you want."

Sakura looked down awkwardly. There was so much she wanted and needed to talk about. Apologize for all her mistakes. Convince him that she trusted him; that she knew how he truly felt for her. That she wanted to start over, again. That she wanted to go back to school.

But she also wanted to just sit there, soaking up the quietness while he simply held her. It was peaceful. She could feel his love for her, and in return, her heart was swelling with her love for him. It was so warm, so comforting, so wonderful...

But in the end, her need to talk about certain things won over.

"I..." she paused, biting her lip.

Syaoran's gaze shifted down at her curiously. "What is it? Go on."

Sakura took in a deep breath. "Syaoran, I...I want to be a person again. I don't want to be waited on twenty-four-seven. I don't want to be treated like some frail or fragile doll that'll break anytime soon. I don't want _you_ to treat me like a frail little doll."

Syaoran frowned, "Then what do you want?"

Sakura sighed and pulled away form his comforting arm. She got on her knees beside him to look him straight in the eyes. "I want to be with you, but I also want to be my own person again. I can't just stay around the house all day while you work. I want to be out there too."

Syaoran's frown deepened slightly. "You want to work? I don't know, Sakura..."

"I can't let you pay for everything anymore," Sakura argued. Then she looked down at her lap with a small smile. "And...And I want to go back to school."

"You can!" Syaoran smiled brightly, glad that she was trying to get her life back on track. "I'll pay for it!"

Sakura let out a small sigh and shook her head. She looked back up and, after meeting Syaoran's gaze for a moment, placed her hand on his cheek. She smiled softly, "Yes, but you won't. This is something _I_ have to do, Syaoran. Please let me."

Syaoran sighed and placed his hand atop of Sakura's. "I don't know...A job? Where?"

He already knew that, deep down, he wouldn't let her work anywhere unless he approved of it. Yeah, it sounded like he was becoming the over-protective, controlling boyfriend, but could you blame him at this point?

Sakura chewed her bottom lip. "I don't know yet. They're hiring at that pizza joint downtown..."

Before she could finish, Syaoran was shaking his head. "Sakura, hun, it's great that you want to go back to school and all, but I don't want you working there."

Sakura frowned, confused, but didn't press on.

Syaoran's reason; he knew that only guys currently worked at that particular pizza shop. And those guys all eyed girls like pieces on meat whenever they would walk into the shop. Syaoran had seen it a few times when he'd go to pick up a pizza order. It was disgusting. He could only imagine how they'd look and talk about Sakura. The very thought made him shudder, and angry.

Sakura sighed. "I need a job, though Syaoran. If not there, then where?"

Syaoran also sighed. He stretched out his arm, inviting Sakura back to him. She accepted the offer and ducked under his arm again. He wrapped it around her and pulled her close into his side again. He

kissed the crown of her head, then rested his chin on her head so he was cradling her under his chin.

"We'll think of something, I just want you to be safe." He whispered. He felt himself pull her closer and closed his eyes, comfortable with how she was resting against her. He felt as if he could protect her while she was so close to him, while she was safely under his arm. Under his wing. "I love you. I don't want to lose you again."

Sakura also closed her eyes and snuggled in closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his torso lovingly. "I love you too."

Then she tilted her head up and kissed him passionately.

**b.K.d**

Syaoran walked into work the next morning, completely aware of the still tension in the air. He dropped off his stuff in his office and started his computer, then walked next door to Eriol's office. Eriol was sitting at his desk, looking through some folder for his own case.

Syaoran frowned and walked up to the desk. "What's going on here? Someone die?"

Eriol looked up, held Syaoran's gaze for a moment, then sighed. He was glad when Tomoyo had told him how much progress Sakura had made in the past month, but he had also heard about Sakura's attempt at suicide. The thought sickened him. Especially since he was sure it had something to do with Syaoran, even though Tomoyo assured him it was the fault of a girl who worked with Sakura at the bar.

"Well, the boss found out how the fire began. That secretary on our floor, Aiko, decided to try and get away with lighting a cigarette and got caught by a co-worker. He decided not to report her, and she put it out. But she placed it into the trash bin under her desk. Basically, it wasn't properly put out."

Syaoran frowned. He had spoken to the young secretary only once, but she seemed like a nice and smart girl. How could she have done something so stupid? "Then what's with all the mood around this place."

Eirol sighed. "Well, she was obviously fired, and now we're all running behind because our floor doesn't have a secretary. The other girls are trying to make up for her work, but it's just stressing them and the boss out."

Syaoran's eyes suddenly light up. It was perfect! He could have her close and know she was safe! Perfect!

"So, what you're saying is, we need a secretary?" Syaoran asked hopefully. "That there's a job opening."

"Yeah," Eriol lifted an eyebrow curiously. "Why?"

Syaoran merely smiled wider.

Perfect, indeed.

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow guys, I can't thank you enough!! I got the most reviews I've ever gotten for the last chapter, and I can't thank you all enough over it! It means a lot to me, so thank you thank you thank you!!**

**Well, I hope Sakura's reaction was what you all were hoping for. I've had this scene planned since I first began this fic and couldn't wait to get to it. **

**HAPPY NEW YEARS, EVERYONE!! ^.^ All the best to all of you in 2009!**

_Next Time: Sakura wanted a new start; Sakura wanted a job. Well, now she has one so how will she deal with it? And how will Syaoran deal with his deepening feelings for Sakura without wanting to scare her off? Is Sakura ready for their relationship to deepen again?_


	10. Chapter 9: Rejected?

**His Fallen Angel:  
_Chapter Nine – Rejected?_**

* * *

Sakura sat at the expensive dark-wood desk, her hands in her knees nervously as she started down at the sleek black keyboard in front of her. She had refused to really look around at the desk just yet, her heart beating nervously fast.

She wore a nice rose-pink suit; the skirt reached just above her knees and the jacket stretched three-quarters of the way down her arm. She wore a nice white blouse underneath, unbuttoned down two buttons to expose only a bit of skin, yet not low enough to show anything off. Her beautiful auburn hair was put up into a small, messy bun.

"Don't worry," the woman who was training her, Haruko, smiled warmly to Sakura, catching her attention. She gently placed a pile of folders and papers onto the desk beside the keyboard. "You'll be fine, hun."

Sakura gave her a shaky smile and nodded graciously. The woman smiled again, then walked away toward the elevator to return to the first floor to finish her work.

Sakura looked up at the computer screen, then to the pile beside her and sighed, though happily. A small, more ensuring smile crept onto her face. She was honestly happy that she had been offered the job. Not only was she now working and earning clean money, she was also working near Syaoran. She had all but jumped up and down when Syaoran had told her the good news only two days before.

"_A job?" Sakura's mouth fell open slightly. "At the office you work at?"_

_Syaoran nodded, beaming. "It'll be perfect, Sakura! The money is great and you'll be able to go to school in no time." He paused, then smiled a bit more uncomfortably. "And I'll be close by, so if anything happens to you..."_

_Sakura smiled and ran into his arms, pushing him back a step. She giggled and then leaned up and kissed the tip of his nose. "Thank you, Syaoran! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"_

_He merely chuckled to himself and pulled her closer._

Sakura's smile widened as she pulled her comfortable seat closer to her desk and began sorting through the folders to put the information into the computer. She was at it for three hours before Syaoran was out of his meeting and came to visit her. He leaned over her desk, simply watching her with a dumbfound smile on his face. She was too tuned into her work to realize he was even there, her mind completely focused on the computer.

After watching her like a love-sick puppy for five whole minutes, a goofy grin broke out over his face and he finally spoke up. "Hey, beautiful."

She jumped, obviously frightened. Her hand flew up to the spot above her racing heart, earning a chuckle from Syaoran. She looked up to see him restraining himself from letting out more than a simple chuckle. Her eyes narrowed, "Syaoran Li! Don't you scare me like that!"

"Terribly sorry," he forced his chuckle into a mere smile. "I didn't mean to, but I was wondering if you cared to join me for lunch, m'lady?"

Sakura giggled at his suddenly polite, old-style talk. When she calmed herself, she simply shook her head. "We have work, Syaoran."

"We also have a right to eat," he pointed out. "You're allowed a lunch hour, Sakura."

She began chewing her bottom lip nervously. "I don't know. I have a lot of work to catch up on..."

Syaoran gave a small sigh and leaned over the desk to grab the phone. Before Sakura could question his motives, Syaoran was already speaking into the mouthpiece.

"Hello, Haruko," he said politely. "I understand that you're busy, but would you mind telling my dear Sakura that she's allowed to leave her desk to go get lunch?"

Sakura burned bright red, scowling at Syaoran as he handed her the phone with a huge grin. When she put the phone to her ear, the woman on the other hand began to scold her and all but yell at her to leave for an hour to eat.

Sakura sighed and put the phone back on the receiver, then glared at Syaoran. "That wasn't nice, Syaoran. Haruko must be busy herself. There was no need to phone her."

"Oh, calm down," he chuckled. When she mumbled something too low for him to hear, he simply smiled and walked around the desk to hold out his hand to her. "C'mon, Sakura, please? Please join me for lunch?"

Sakura stared at him for a minute longer, then with a sigh gave in and reached for his hand. He smiled warmly, almost a smirk, and led her to the elevator and out the building. He drove them to fancy Italian restaurant a few blocks away, earning a confused glance from Sakura. She knew the restaurant was top of the line, and that you needed a reservation to get in...

Syaoran walked up to the booth, his hand latched lovingly onto Sakura's, and greeted the man standing behind the entrance booth with a small nod. "Two for Li, please."

The man scanned through his book and nodded, asking them to follow him. As they began to weave through tables, Sakura felt Syaoran's hand leave hers to wrap around her shoulder instead. She didn't think much of it though, her mind too focused on how he had done all of this.

They stopped at a small, two-seated table safely tucked away at the back. The man who had led them pulled out a chair, letting Sakura sit down. Blushing, she took the seat and let him push her back in. Syaoran, smiling, took the chair across from Sakura.

As soon as the man left them, another man came up to their table. "Can I get you anything to start with, sir?"

Syaoran nodded, practically beaming. "The lady and I will start off with water, thank you."

When he left, Syaoran turned back to Sakura and had to stop a chuckle from leaving his mouth again. She was frowning, though not in an angry way. She was obviously trying to think. She seemed almost confused, which he had expected. When he had gotten out of his meeting earlier, he had called the restaurant right away to make a reservation. It was lucky that he had been able to get a table at all in such short notice.

He reached across the table and held out his hand. Sakura, still deep in her thoughts, brought her hand up to the table and settled it into his palm. With much tenderness, he wrapped his fingers around her small hand and held on tightly, lovingly, lightly tracing her knuckles with his thumb.

"We have an hour," he reminded her, "and we both deserve a nice, fancy meal. After all, we really didn't celebrate much when you first got the job. So think of this as your congrats for landing the job."

After a moment, she smiled warmly at him, pushing down the blush demanding to make it's appearance. "Thank you, Syaoran."

It didn't take long after that for their waiter to return once more with their water, and take their orders. Syaoran, having already scammed through the menu, asked for two chicken parmesans, a side order of garlic break and one small caesar salad for the both of them. Once the food came, Sakura began mowing down immediately. She closed her eyes in absolute pleasure as she placed a fork twirled with pasta into her mouth, giving a small 'mmm'.

She opened her eyes and mouth to thank Syaoran, but stopped when she realized he hadn't yet touched his food. Instead, he seemed to be glowering at something across the room, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"Syaoran...?"

"Those _bastards_," he growled the word, "are looking at you like some kind of meat. I don't like it."

Sakura followed his gaze to see a table of three men looked over at her. When they realized she was looking back at them, they all grinned. One man even waved her over, earning a low growl from Syaoran.

Sakura somehow found the means to smile and turned back to Syaoran. "You know, that _can_ be fixed."

He turned back to her, frowning, his eyes still blazing with anger. "How?"

She smiled seductively, though not meaning to, and curled her finger toward him, as in a 'come hither' motion. He gave her a confused look, but scooted his chair around the table so he was sitting beside her. She stood up and pulled his plate toward him, then sat back down and leaned her head over to rest it on his shoulder. She placed her lips on his jaw in a comforting kiss, and smiled when he got what she was up to. He wrapped an arm around her, claiming her.

"That's how," she whispered, kissing him again. "Now they _know_ I'm with you."

Syaoran gave a small chuckle, then urged her to continue eating.

**b.K.d**

By eleven o'clock that night, most of the employees at the office were gone home and the janitors began to come out to clean up. As one man began his routine job cleaning up the third floor, he saw a small light on at the secretary's desk. He frowned and turned off his vacuum to see what was going on.

There, sitting behind the desk, was a beautiful young woman with silky auburn hair. She had her desk lamp on and as a radio by her computer played music. Her hands gripped a book (he caught the author's name; Jane Austen). She was oblivious to him, completely memorized by her novel.

"Err," he stumbled. He was use to the lawyers being around sometimes this late, but not the secretaries. "Miss, it's getting late."

Sakura's head shot up toward the man. After a second, letting his hazy words become clear in her mind, she gave a small smile. "I'm sorry. Am I in your way?"

"No..." he shook his head. "But it's getting late."

She smiled. "Yes, I know. I'm waiting for someone."

The man looked at her for a moment, his eyebrows scrunching together, before turning away to continue vacuuming while mumbling to himself. It wasn't right that someone was making her wait.

Sakura watched him leave, then sighed and put her book down. She turned up her small radio slightly, since it was hard to hear over the vacuum; she couldn't listen to it during business hours, but music had always relaxed her, so as soon as the office was officially closed for the night, she made sure to turn it on.

She meant to continue reading at that point, but the deep female voice intrigued her. The lyrics quickly captured her attention as she clung on to each word. After each verse, her eyes grew wider and wider. And then, realization dawning on her, she smiled; it was just like her life. At the end, she caught the name of the song and artist and scribbled it down on a scrap piece of paper, then tucked it into her book.

She waited an hour longer, turning back to her book, before a small knock came from in front of her desk. She looked up to see Eriol standing there, his eyes dark with sleep, as his knuckle rested on the top of the wood.

She smiled, "Haven't seen you today."

Eriol smiled back; God, it was good to see Sakura smiling again. To see her back in her old, child-like nature. "Meetings all day." When she nodded, he continued with the message he had wanted to drop off with her. "Syaoran's been locked in his office for a bit and isn't answering. He usually finishes up in an hour or so, but I can drive you home now if you want."

Sakura shook her head, still smiling. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll go check on him and wait for him to finish."

Eriol came around the desk and bent down to give her a quick, friendly hug, taking Sakura by surprise. "We've really missed you, Sakura."

She smiled and hugged him back. "Sorry to worry you."

He gave a small chuckle, obviously a mix of nerves and relief, and turned to leave after wishing Sakura a good-night.

When he was gone, Sakura got up from her desk and wondered down he hall to Syaoran's office. The light was still visibly on behind the frosty glass windows and door, but the door was closed. She lightly tapped her knuckles against the glass door.

"Syaoran?" She called out. When he didn't answer after a moment, she frowned and called out again. When he didn't answer again, her hand went for the doorknob. It felt wrong to open his door without permission, but she was honestly worried.

After she turned the gold doorknob, it effortlessly swung open for her. Sakura gasped at the scene, her hand flying up to her mouth to stifle her surprise.

There, behind Syaoran's desk, was a sleeping Syaoran; his body hunched over, his head resting in his arms on the desk, cheek pressed against the wood.

She giggled to herself, then mentally scolded him; she knew he wasn't getting enough sleep. Then, slowly and quietly, she tip-toed over to his desk and stood beside him. She gently shook his shoulder, cooing his name.

After a moment, he began to stir. His body jerked slightly, but not uncomfortably to her hand, and sleepily he began to sit back up. Sakura pulled away as he stretched and rubbed his eyes, then turned his head and tried to focus on her. He had to blink a few times, his eyebrows hitching together, before he seemed to realize who she was.

"Sa-Sakura?" He stumbled, sleep very obvious in his face.

She couldn't help but giggle. He just looked so silly, with the one side of his hair sticking up from sleeping on the side of his head, and his shirt all wrinkled, and his tie all over the place. He looked like a wreck. "Yes, Syaoran?"

His eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "Oh, man, Sakura! I am so, so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep. Crap, you have to be so tired by now and I haven't even gotten you home. Crap! I am so sorry!"

Sakura giggled, waving her hand. "It's fine, Syaoran. You're obviously tired." She placed her hand around his upper-arm and tried to pull him up. "C'mon, let's get you home and into bed."

"No!" He said frantically, standing up so quickly Sakura had to snatch back her hand. "Crap, and I had everything planned out for tonight! I rented a movie, and we were going to leave early to watch it together...Dammit!"

Sakura smiled. "You rented a movie? Which one?"

Syaoran blushed slightly. "Ti...Titanic."

Sakura felt her eyes widen and heart skip a beat. _Titanic_. There was a lot of meaning behind that. On their first date when they were thirteen, Syaoran had taken her to see the movie in theatres. It had been one of her favourite memories. And when Jack Dawson died, she had found herself crying. The crying turned to bawling when the older Rose fell asleep and had died. It wasn't when she had died that got to Sakura, though; it was the fact that Jack had seemed to be waiting for her, holding out his hand and taking her hand into his when she reached back out for him. It was amazingly sad, and Syaoran had held her as she, like many others in the theatre, cried their hearts out. Of course, a week after the movie, he had teased her about being such an emotional girl.

Blushing as well, she smiled. "That's...That's very sweet, Syaoran. Thank you."

He smiled back and opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted by Sakura. A motherly look suddenly appeared in her eyes. "But! You are still going to bed when we get home." When he tried to argue, she continued. "You're dead on your feet, Syaoran. We can watch it tomorrow."

Syaoran pouted and pulled her into him. "I know, but I'll be working late tomorrow though, Sakura. We won't be able to. And then I'll have to return it."

He began to leave small kissed in her hair and then, slowly working his way down, on her forehead. After a moment, Sakura found herself melt into a puddle and nodded, giving in.

Syaoran smirked and wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her as they left the building. Sakura found herself pouting now; damn, he always got his way.

**b.K.d**

Syaoran slid in the DVD and hopped back onto the couch, wide awake now. Sakura, who was already sitting on the couch dressed in her comfortable nightwear (grey sweatpants and a thin-strapped tank top), snuggled up to Syaoran. He was also dressed for sleep; in a cotton white tee and green-and-blue plaid flannel pajama bottoms. He wrapped an arm around Sakura, pulling her into him, then picked up the remote and pressed play.

When the part where Rose and Jack were standing at the stern of the ship and Jack was helping Rose 'fly' came on, Syaoran subconsciously tightened his hold on Sakura. And in response, also subconsciously, Sakura cuddled into his side even more.

"I've always found this part romantic," she mumbled. "Especially when he starts to sing in her ear."

Syaoran smiled and nodded in agreement. Then he smirked and leaned down to have his mouth close to her ear. As Jack began to sing, so did he; "Come Josephine in my flying machine, going up - she goes...up - she goes..."

Sakura turned bright scarlet red and shivered. Syaoran, chuckling softly, pulled away from her ear and tightened his arm on her once more before turning his attention back to the movie.

And then, when it came to the time when the two were running away from Cal's bodyguard/valet, Spicer Lovejoy, after Jack draws Rose nude, Sakura felt herself shudder once more but it went unnoticed by Syaoran this time. There was a small tickling sensation on her hip, and when she looked down, her heart began to beat faster.

Syaoran had pulled her pants down enough to expose the skin on her hip and was lightly tracing small, slow circles on her skin. When she looked back up at him, his eyes were glued to the screen with a blank look on his face. He was obviously oblivious to his actions, the movement in his hand completely unknown to him. And her reaction was definitely going unnoticed by him.

She tried to go back to the movie. It was now at the part where Jack and Rose were jumping into the car after narrowly escaping capture by running through the boiler room to the luggage area.

But when Jack asked 'Where to, miss?' and Rose whispered into his ear 'To the stars', and she pulled him into the back seat...Sakura felt her own breathing begin to become embarrassingly louder with each passing moment. It wasn't helping that Syaoran's circles were now slower and larger, slowly increasing up her side. She glanced over to him again, to make sure he wasn't trying to mess around with her, and realized, again, that he was still oblivious. He honestly wasn't aware of what he was doing.

She turned back to the movie just in time to see Rose's hand slide down the fogged-up glass in the parked car.

And Sakura finally lost all control. Her eyes and focus refused to stay glued to the movie and she turned back to Syaoran. Her hand inched up and rested on his chest. "Syaoran...?"

His eyes darted down to Sakura, and she had to stop a gasp from leaving her mouth. The look in his eyes was a look only he could give her. Lust clouded his eyes, and though she had seen it in other guys, only he could give her that particular lust-filled look. The look not only lustful, but also loving and caring. Adoring, even.

The hand not on her hip reached down for her face and cradled her cheek. His thumb began caressing her skin, and Sakura's breath hitched when, now that he was aware of it, his hand on her hip inched up enough under her shirt to caress the side of her unbounded breast. He lowered his face to hers, letting his warm sweet breath roll off onto her face. His breathing was raged and loud, as her was. It was quickly apparent neither was paying any attention to the movie by now.

Sakura pressed herself up, roughly pressing her lips to his. Quickly, both began to move their lips against the others, battling for dominance. When Syaoran gently bit on her bottom lip, then licked it over soothingly, Sakura couldn't compress the moan that left her lips. Her moan opened her mouth enough for him to thrust in his tongue, and the dance-of-the-tongues began.

Never letting their lips stray from each other, Sakura got to her knees. Syaoran's hand immediately travelled to her hips and gripped both sides of her. She moaned again and threw her leg over his legs to straddle him. As soon as she sat, she ground her hips down. His hands tightened on her hips as a low hiss of pleasure left his mouth, making Sakura smile. She could feel his hardening member beneath his thin flannel pants.

When they finally had to pull away for air, Syaoran's lips refused to stray from her. He began to leave hot, gentle kisses on her collarbone as Sakura began tugging on the hem of his shirt. Getting the hint, Syaoran pulled away only long enough to pull his shirt off and threw it away, not knowing or caring where it landed.

Sakura only let herself marvel at his perfect, toned chest for only a moment before she leaning forward and began trailing light, small kisses over his chest. As she kissed one side of his chest, her hand went up to the other side. Her thumb began to lightly flick over his small nipple, earning a small, throaty moan form Syaoran.

His hands went two separate ways; one went to her hair and began to gentle run his fingers through her silky mane, while the other hand went to her ass and began rubbing circles on the cheek.

"Syaoran..." she sighed against his warm skin.

His eyes shot open and his actions suddenly stopped as her voice rang in his ears. His hands went limply to her hips. Sakura, catching this reaction, frowned in confusion against his chest and sat back up. She quickly met his eyes; his wide, frantic, panicked amber eyes.

"Syaoran...?" She began, confused. Her hand reached up for his face, but he flinched away. Even more confused, she pulled her hand back.

"I..." he began, turning bright red. "I...I...Oh, God, Sakura...I'm..."

Suddenly, Syaoran's hands gripped her hips tightly, almost painfully. He picked her up and threw her back-first onto the couch's cushions. She landed with a small bounce, but he didn't seem to notice. He literally jumped off the couch and flew down the hall at top speed, rushing into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

Sakura, dazed and confused, laid there as she heard the bathroom door slammed shut. Second later, she heard the rushing water of the shower being turned on full-blast. Her first thoughts were to run after him and see if he was alright; maybe he was sick. And yet, with her breath still heavy and ragged, she could only lay there.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, tears of rejection began to slowly sting her eyes.

He didn't want her. Not that way, anyway.

She pulled herself off the couch and went straight to her room, which was directly across the hall from the bathroom. She was vaguely aware that the movie was still on, but her thoughts were much louder than the stupid movie.

Anger and rejection, and frustration and lust, and hurt and confusion soared through her small body as she entered her room, ignoring all sounds from the bathroom, and slammed the door shut herself. She threw herself onto the bed, tears spilling over her eyes, as she grabbed her cell phone off the bedside table. She quickly scrolled through the numbers on the thin pink phone and stopped when she found the name she wanted.

Tomoyo.

**b.K.d**

Syaoran turned the shower on as cold as it could go and made sure it was on full blast. He quickly shed his pants, finally freeing his very hard, erected cock. He put his hand in the shower and groaned angrily when he realized it was still warm. Needing release, and quickly, his hand went to his erection. He lightly traced it once, shivering at the touch, then wrapped his entire hand around it and began to pump.

Through all the years he had been away from Sakura, not once had he dated. Not once had he found another girl. And therefore, not once had he engaged in any sexual activity; he hadn't wanted or needed it. And he had never wanked off, having never needed to feel the release or pleasure.

But at that moment, he needed it like he needed air. It wasn't a want, it was a sudden must.

As he moaned loudly and bit his lip to stop the sound from growing, having found his release, he was vaguely aware of the door slamming from out in the hall. Still needing to calm down even after finding the release he so desperately had needed, he now climbed into the freezing cold shower, shivering as the freezing pelts of ice-water hit his back.

He closed his eyes and lifted his head up, letting the water spray through his hair and run along his face.

"Sakura," he sighed, finally able to find his voice for what he had wanted to say earlier, though he knew she couldn't hear him now. "Sakura, I'm sorry."

* * *

**Author's Note: Eek! I'm sorry everyone...I really haven't meant to neglect this story . When I got back to school from the holiday, it was major work overload and I was completely stuck on this chapter. I knew how it'd end, but I was stuck for the their date at the restaurant. You can thank _xXShining ShadowXx for the sudden breakthrough (sorry hun, know I said it'd be up yesterday but I had to finish my essay before I was allowed to finish anything else . . .)_**

**_AND WOW!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! That was fucking awesome! I got THE most reviews for that chapter than any other! -hugs everyone- Thank you thank you thank you!! And I wanna press my luck this time ^.^'' sooooo...let's say ten reviews and I'll update for the weekend? ^.^ Please and thank you, my friends!_**

**_I believe there will only be one more chapter plus an epilogue, but I am thinking about making a sequel, if this one goes well enough. When I post the next chapter, I'll put up a poll on my profile for your guys opinion ^.^_**

**_XoX ... Riva ... XoX_**

_Next Time...: Syaoran has his reasons for not doing anything with Sakura, but what were they? And what does Tomoyo say Sakura tells her what happened? She won't run away again, but what does she do now that she's been rejected, again? _


	11. Chapter 10: Home

**His Fallen Angel:**

_Chapter 10 – Home_

* * *

_He didn't want her. Not that way, anyway. Not that way...Didn't want her...At least...Didn't...That way..._

Filled with countless emotions, Sakura quickly scrolled through the numbers on the thin pink phone and stopped when she found the name she wanted.

The phone on the other line rang once, twice...And then, though it seemed like forever, Tomoyo picked up her cell.

"Sa-Sakura?" Her groggy voice said.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said quickly, only then realizing the time of day. Or night, would be more correct. "I didn't mean...I-I should have checked the time. I woke you, didn't I?"

She tried to cover up her tears, but she knew her voice was shaky. And she knew that Tomoyo knew her well enough, not to mention how observant she was, to realize her state.

"Sakura?" Tomoyo said, a bit more awake, a wave of panic in her voice. "What's wrong? Don't worry about waking me; you wouldn't have called if it wasn't important."

Sakura listened for a moment as she heard the bathroom door open. She swore she heard Syaoran pause in front of her door, and she held her breath. She didn't want to talk to him right now. She didn't know if she could. When his footsteps wandered away from her door, she let out the breath she had been holding. She heard the TV turn off, then his footsteps were in the hall again as he passed her door to his own room. She heard his door close.

"Sakura? Sakura, you still there?" Tomoyo asked, panicky.

Sakura sighed, "Yeah, I am. I'm sorry."

"What happened?" Tomoyo asked again, practically demanding her answer.

Sakura closed her eyes; her way of stopping the tears from building up in her eyes again. "Tomoyo...I love Syaoran."

"I know you do," Tomoyo said softly. "And he loves you. What is this? An epiphany?"

Sakura shook her head, momentarily forgetting that her friend couldn't see her. "Yes, I know. But...But love and lust are two different things, right?" When Tomoyo didn't answer, she continued. "Tomoyo, I lust for Syaoran. I don't feel bad about it at all. I remember when we first tried to...you know...and, Tomoyo, it was the best day of my life. He loved me. He didn't need to show it that way, but it just showed how close we were. And I know he loves me, but he...the want is...gone..."

There was a small pause, and then a long let go of held-in breath from Tomoyo. "Sakura, I don't think you're thinking clearly. I'm sure that's not it. How can Syaoran not want you in that way?"

"But...!"

"Did he want you back then?" Tomoyo asked. When she didn't get an answer, she smiled and continued. "Sakura, sweetie, maybe you should talk to him? I'm sure it's a simple misunderstanding. Don't do anything rash."

Sakura ignored her last comment. "Tomoyo, for the past few years that's all guys wanted me for. I know that look, Tomoyo. I know that lustful, wanting look. And when Syaoran pulled away, when he ran to the bathroom, that look definitely was not there. He almost looked sick. As if...I had sickened him. As if the thought of it made him nauseous. A-and maybe that's true. I mean, I'd...understand, I guess...because so many men have – "

"Wait, _wait_, _**wait**_!" Tomoyo waved her free hand in the air, though of course Sakura couldn't see from the other line. "The bathroom?! Sakura, how dense are you?"

Sakura blushed slightly. "I'm not dense; I know what he was doing in there. I heard the shower. But just because he was hard doesn't mean he wanted _me_. I mean, we were watching a fairly steamy scene in this movie..."

"Sakura," Tomoyo sighed and shook her head. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura..." she sighed again. "Sweetie, just go talk to him. From one girl to another, talking to him is going to be the best thing right now."

"But _–_ !"

"**Go**!" Tomoyo ordered. "Go talk to him now and sort this out!"

And before Sakura could answer or protest, Tomoyo hung up, giving her friend no chance to respond in any way.

Sakura kept the phone to her ear for a few moments longer, listening to the whinny beeping from the dead end. After a bit, she sighed and closed the phone, then threw it onto the small table beside her. She stayed sitting up in her bed for a few more moments, chewing her bottom lip nervously, before she sighed in exasperation and threw her feet over the side of the bed. She stood up and walked over to the door numbly, then opened her door and wandered down the hall toward his bedroom.

She lifted her hand to knock, and then stopped, silently scolding herself. She wasn't going to ask for entrance to his room at this point. Not after his behaviour. She turned the handle and pushed the door open, ready to begin yelling at him, but the sight before her stopped her.

He was sitting up on his bed with the bedside table's lamp on. His white tee was back on, the sheets over his legs and pooling around his waist. His hair remained wet, and his arms were crossed, the look of deep-thought on his face; his eyebrows were hitched together and his lips were a tight line.

She took a deep breath, calming herself from the yelling rampage she so wanted to release, and went over to his bed. She sat at the end of the bed, her eyes locked on his face.

When Syaoran felt the bed's mattress sink with a light weight, his head jerked up to see Sakura sitting cross-legged on his bed, her eyes locked on his face with the look of confusion, hurt and confusion on her own.

"Sakura?" He asked quietly, trying to keep his voice level. "What's wrong? I thought you went to sleep?"

Sakura tore her eyes away from him, her hands folding nervously in her lap. "Sy-Syaoran...d-do you, um, you know...w-w-want me?"

"Of course I..." he paused, his eyes slowly widening as he realized what she meant. And, of course, Sakura's eyes shot up at his hesitation and took it the wrong way. He saw her eyes begin to water, and panic seized his body. "No! Sakura...Sakura, please, don't cry! That's not what I meant!"

"Then please, _please_, Syaoran," she begged in a small voice, "explain to me what you **do** mean. I'm...I'm so confused."

Syaoran sighed and roughly ran his hands through his hair. He pushed back the blankets from around him and moved so he was right in front of Sakura instead. He reached for her face and gently laid his palm on her cheek, making her look up at him. "Sakura, how can I not want you? Can you honestly think I don't want to...to make love to you?

"But..." she frowned, confused, "you pulled away, and..."

He sighed and shook his head. "There was a lot of emotions that were running through my head. And all I could think was how many guys have used your body for their own pleasure. Sakura," he paused and looked her in the eyes, "when we make love, I want it to be because we know we love each other. I don't want to merely be 'pleasing' myself. And I don't want it to come from merely lust, but because we love each other."

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much."

"And I love you," he smiled. Then he frowned slightly again and gave a smaller sigh. "And I want to make sure of something. I want to make sure that when we do, it's because you want to. You're not here to pleasure me; we're here to pleasure each other. And with all that BS in your past...Well, I just want to make sure you know that. I don't want you to feel pushed into doing it. I want _you _to_ want_ to do it, and I don't ever want my touch to feel like those other men. When we do this, I want my touch to mean something to you instead of mark you. Understand?"

Sakura held his gaze for a moment, then timidly reached up for his hand on her cheek. She sighed and leaned into it, her hand staying atop of his as she closed her eyes contentedly.

"You're touch isn't like their's, Syaoran, and it never was," she told him softly, keeping her eyes closed. "You're touch is much different than theirs. Every time one of _them_ would touch me, it'd hurt. It'd hurt, and sting, and burn. It was cold. But yours..." she sighed and opened her eyes to meet his. She gave a small smile, seeing the deep love that shone in his eyes. She then took his hand and slid it down her face, her neck, and finally rested it on her chest, just above her breast. She made sure to hold his gaze. "You're touch, it's everything to me. It's love and soft and caring. It's warm. So warm..."

Both of their hearts sped up for the same reason; because both could see the true depth in one another's eyes. The love, the adoration, the warmth, and the truth. Most importantly the truth.

Sakura continued. "I could never compare your touch to theirs, Syaoran. I hated theirs, but I love yours. Theirs is cold; yours is warm. Theirs is lust; yours is love. It's two completely different things, and it always has been. I'll always welcome your touch, Syaoran. I love you."

Then, after holding his gaze for only a moment later, she leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. She didn't care at that point if they did or did not do anything that night, as long as he understood that his touch wouldn't shatter her. That she loved his touch. That she'd always welcome his touch.

As she began to pull away from the graze, Syaoran leaned forward and captured her lips again. He turned his hand over and grasped her hand which still lingered under hers and above her chest. His other hand went to her back to press her to him, which she quickly welcomed. She squeezed his hand back and brought her free hand to the back of his head, grabbing a fistful of his thick hair.

When he parted his lips after Sakura soothed his lips with her tongue for a moment, she shot her tongue into his mouth. Both groaned at this point, but before it could get too far, Syaoran forced his mouth away from hers for a moment, his breath ragged and raspy.

"Are...Are you sure?" He asked, his eyes closed as he tried to collect himself.

Sakura sighed loudly and leaned toward him even more, pressing herself against him while pushing his head closer to her. She brought his ear close to her mouth and brought the lobe between her lips, suckling gently. When she felt him shiver, she smiled around his ear and pulled away. She kissed the space under his ear, then brought her voice into a whisper.

"Do I sound sure?"

He gave a small groan, then wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her down onto the bed with him. When they laid side-by-side, Sakura hooked her leg around his waist and ground herself into his growing arousal. He gave a small moan, then captured her lips in a hungry, passionate kiss. He sucked he bottom lip for a moment before probing her mouth to ask for entrance. She quickly granted it while twisting both of her hands into his hair.

Syaoran rolled them over so he was hovering above her. His one forearm propped him up while be brought his other hand to her leg which remained latched onto his waist, but looser. Gently, softly, he began stroking her thigh.

Needing air, Syaoran pulled his mouth from hers. Neither noticed how heavy the other was breathing, they could only hear their own raging heartbeats.

He looked down at her for only a moment, his eyes glazed over with hundreds of emotions. After his moment, he leaned back down and planted a kiss on the side of her neck. Then he pressed another onto her collarbone, trying to work his way down. He gave a small growl of annoyance, making Sakura giggle, as he came in contact with her shirt, stopping him from continuing his travels.

He sat up and quickly pushed up her stop. Sakura quickly got the hint and sat up to help him slip it over her head. As soon as it was off and tossed over onto the floor, he placed his lips where they had left off. Then he kissed between her small, soft breasts, and then another just above her little pink nipple.

Sakura gave a small moan herself, her shaking hands tugging Syaoran's shirt hem. He pulled away only for a second to pull it off, then pressed his lips to her nipple. When he brought the soft pink bud into his mouth, Sakura gave a small gasp. She closed her eyes, her hands quickly finding their way into his hair once more.

"Syaoran..." she sighed softly as he rolled the bud gently between his teeth.

His other hand came up to gently kneed her other breast as his tongue began to flick the bud he had been working on.

Next, he placed a light kiss just below her breast, and then on her mid-stomach. When he got to the top of her sweatpants, he pulled himself back up to her face and kissed her deeply again. Sakura clenched her fingers in his hair for a moment – she couldn't get enough of the feel of the silky locks – then moved her hands to his chest and began running her hands over his muscles. She smiled when she felt him give an involuntary shudder.

As he kissed her, receiving light moans and whimpers from both of them, his hands wandered down to her sweatpants. He pulled them down to her knees so she could kick them off, neither minding or caring where they landed. His hand brushed up along her leg toward her centre. He gave a loud groan when he realized she wasn't wearing anything else and he brushed nothing but smooth, shaven skin.

His hand ventured between her already slick folds, coming in contact with her sensitive bundle of nerves. He gently ran his finger along the small bud, getting a loud whimper and shiver from Sakura. He smiled against her lips, then pulled away and began trailing his lips down toward her centre once more. When he was head-level with her pelvis, he lightly pressed his lips to the shaven area before moving completely before her womanhood.

As soon as his hands came in contact with her knees to try and move them apart to reveal her centre, Sakura suddenly tensed up. She pressed her knees together and blushed furiously. Syaoran looked up to see her, and realized there was a new emotion playing on her face; shame.

"Sakura?" He asked softly, caressing her knees with his thumbs. "What is it?"

She looked away, not answering.

After a moment, he realized where he had seen that emotion on her before. When she had tried to jump off the building; it was because she felt like she wasn't good enough. And he could only link that up with another thing. He sighed and pressed his lips to her knee, then closed his eyes and spoke against her skin, "Sakura, it's not true."

Sakura's head whipped toward him, her eyes wide. How could he possibly know what she was – ?

He opened his eyes and looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes so sincere it stopped her thoughts. "You're beautiful and clean. You're not dirty. You're not broken. You're mine."

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat. "But...I've been touched...b-by so many..."

He reached for her hand and squeezed it, then leaned forward enough to bring it up to his lips and press his lips to the back of her hand. He whispered softly, "That doesn't matter to me. To me, you're still Sakura. My Sakura. My beautiful flower who could never be 'dirty'. I love you, and right now, none of that matter so me. Nor will it ever matter."

"I love you," she whispered after a moment of silence.

He smiled and placed his hand back on her knee. "Then please, let me show you how much I love you."

After a moment of hesitation and still blushing, Sakura's body relaxed. Syaoran smiled at the victory and gently pried her legs apart. When he saw her glistening centre, he gave a loud intake of breath causing Sakura to slam her eyes shut. She knew it. She was too scarred, too dirty, too –

"Beautiful," he whispered, making Sakura's eyes slowly open. She cheeks reddened again as she caught Syaoran's head bending down toward her centre. She felt his lips press against her fold, earning a small gasp from her.

"Absolutely beautiful," he murmured against her lower-lips.

He pressed his tongue into her folds, getting a wild gasp from Sakura. He smiled, then began flicking her clit over with the tip of his tongue. The response was nearly immediate; she began throwing herself into his face, lifting herself off the bed. He slid his hands down from her knees and placed them on her inner thighs, then pressed her back to the bed. Wild gasps and moans began to emit from her as she tried to restrain herself from throwing her pelvis up again.

"Syaoran..." she whimpered. "Syaoran...I need you...God, I need you now!"

He removed his tongue and kissed her swollen, slick lips again. "Not right now, Sakura dear. This is about you right now."

"Please..." She begged.

Syaoran shook his head. "I'm not like those other bastards, Sakura. I want to make sure you're pleasured before I do anything else."

She whimpered and bit her lower lip, nodding instead of responding verbally. She was about to lose it, she knew it. And when the next sensation she felt was Syaoran's long finger entering her, she had to bite down even more to stop herself from screaming.

He began pumping, slowly adding another finger. She was moaning his name, and then gasping his name, and then finally screaming his name.

When his thumb began to circle her clit, she screamed his name again. Her body poured with sweat as she felt herself coming close to unravelling. But when Syaoran felt her walls begin to close around him, he withdrew himself completely.

Sakura whimpered at the loss of touch and looked up to see Syaoran sitting up, his eyes full of love and want. He brought his fingers up to his lips and licked then clean of her juices, making Sakura moan.

"I think you're ready for me," he whispered. "And when I enter you, you won't even feel it, you're so wet at this point."

Sakura nodded, unable to move or say anything. She watched, her eyes captured by his body, as he slid down his own pajama bottoms, freeing his enlarged length.

As soon as it became free, his eyes closed and he gave a small groan of relief. The pain of the erection had become nearly unbearable for the past few moments. When his eyes opened, he saw Sakura staring at his cock, her mouth slightly gapped open. He smiled; it was like she was seeing him for the first time again.

He crawled above her, laying one hand on the pillow by her head while bringing the other hand to her face. He caressed her cheek, capturing her gaze. They could read each other perfectly at that point, and it couldn't be clearer about their love for one another.

Syaoran leaned down and brushed his lips against her forehead, and then leaned in for a slightly passionate kiss on her lips. Passionate, but not lustful.

"I love you," he murmured against her lips in a husky, needy voice.

Still unable to speak, Sakura brushed her lips up with his once more before settling her hands on his hips. They locked gazes as he entered her, gently but definitely not slowly. They both immediately closed their eyes at the contact, groaning together at the new, nearly forgotten feeling of one another.

Syaoran began to move, slowly setting his pace. Their loud breaths, throaty moans and wild gasps filled the still bedroom air. Their names fell off of each others lips like a prayer; gentle and loving. He began to quicken his movements, and Sakura felt herself meeting him half way. He grasped the pillow in one hand and the sheets beside her in the other. Sakura felt her one hand entwine with his hair again and the other across his back and onto his shoulder, gripping on for dear life.

When she was close, she pushed his head down to her lips again. Their moans and calls for one other filled each other's mouths as they kissed more hungrily than they ever had before.

Sakura came, hard, her juices nearly exploding. The combined feeling of her walls collapsing and her warm sweet juices surrounding him sent Syaoran over the edge, giving him the only last thing he needed. He grunted loudly, animal like, and pulled away from Sakura's lips to whisper her name once more. He pumped twice more then came inside her, having to pump more slowly a few more times to settle himself before collapsing on top of her.

Sakura wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, lightly caressing his hair away from his sweat forehead. She pressed soft kisses into his hair, her eyes closed and her breathing harsh. Syaoran wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing kisses against the side of her breast.

After having time to settle, Syaoran pulled out – much to Sakura's protests – and rolled off of her. He laid down on his back and brought Sakura to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She rested her head on his chest and placed her arm across his midsection. Syaoran pulled the blanket over them, then kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, Sakura," he whispered, his voice still a bit husky.

Sakura smiled; she felt whole, complete. Loved and at home. She felt like she finally belonged. Like she had found her home.

And it was then that she truly realized that it was the truth. She _was_ at home, with Syaoran. Under his arm, under his wing of protection and love. And as long as he would keep her, she would be there.

She was no longer that broken China doll. She was no longer lost. She was falling no more. She was whole. She was found. And in midair, she was caught.

She was caught and being held up by her own saviour, her own God-like person. And she was his angel. His fallen angel who had managed to find her way home once more.

"Forever," she promised with a sigh, and knew the words were true. Finally.

* * *

Author's Note: ^.^ Sooooo....what did you all think??? I thought it was pretty steamy, considering it was my first lemon.

**So this is it, everyone ^.^ Just the epilogue to go, which will be up within the following week. PLEASE tell me when you think (Nervous about my first lemon and all...). I want to aim for ten more reviews before I post the epilogue.**

**As well, I now have that poll on my profile to decide whether I should make a second fic to follow this. You don't have to vote until the end of the epilogue though ^.^ Actually, that might be better. After reading the epilogue, you'll probably have a better idea of whether you want me to continue. But, of course, I wont object to an early vote ^.-**

**Thank you to everyone for your loving support! I cannot believe the response I got last time! You all rock, and if I could hug you all, I seriously would! Thank you so much! I definitely cannot wait to write some more on here ^.-**

**All the love in the world, XOX, Riva**

_Epilogue: ONE YEAR LATER!!! (hehe...that is all I'm going to say ^.-)_


	12. epilogue: one year later

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the song 'U+Ur Hand' by P!NK (pink). I have simply used it, but pink owns the lyrics and music. I own nothing.

* * *

**His Fallen Angel:**

_Epilogue – One Year Later_

* * *

Sakura was nearly bouncing in her seat as Syaoran crawled the car to a stop in front of the club. He looked over to her and chuckled, seeing her excitement. He turned off the engine and looked back to see Eriol parking his car behind his. His hand reached to his pants pocket and patted a small lump, then he turned to Sakura and smiled.

"Well, obviously you're ready."

Sakura smiled widely. "Tomoyo has told me nothing but great reviews about this place. And it has karaoke! Karaoke, Syaoran!"

He chuckled and shook his head, then stepped out of his car and rushed over to her door to open it for her. When she was out, he closed the door behind her and took her hand into his. They met up with Tomoyo and Eriol, who were both beaming, before going to the club's doors.

"Everyone ready?" Tomoyo asked, leaning into Eriol's side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. They had been married for a little under one blissful month already. Sakura had, of course, been Tomoyo's Maid-of-Honour. And despite Eriol's ill feelings toward Syaoran for so many years, they were closer than ever; he had been his Best Man.

"Yeah!" Sakura said, pumping a fist in the air excitedly, making the guys chuckle. "Let's go blow everyone's ears off!"

It wasn't Sakura's first time to a bar since her job as 'Blossom'. Mind you, Syaoran hadn't even wanted to bring her to any bar in the first time six months before when Tomoyo and Eriol and invited them. But Sakura coaxed him into it, explaining that not all bars were the same way. And although he had known this, he still hadn't wanted to bring her to it. Though now, it was nearly a weekly thing. But this time was different, and not only for the reason of it being a new bar that had opened only two weeks before.

They grabbed a table near the centre of the nearly full room. A woman was singing some Avril Lavigne song completely off key. Within a few minutes, a waitress came to take their order. Tomoyo asked for her regular margarita, while Eriol got his favourite martini and Syaoran his beer. What surprised everyone was when Sakura simply asked for an iced-tea instead of her usual strawberry daiquiri.

Syaoran frowned, "You alright?"

Sakura smiled, "Just needed a change. I don't feel like getting drunk."

When the woman singing her off-keyed song was finished and the crowed cheered politely, Tomoyo smiled to Sakura, her eyes twinkling. She leaned over to whisper something in her ear, turning Sakura's cheeks pink.

"You sure?" Sakura asked, wide eyed.

Tomoyo beamed, "Go for it!"

Sakura blushed a bit harder; she remembered when she first heard the song – Her first day working at the office. It had caught her attention at once. When she had Tomoyo listen to it, Tomoyo had actually cried. It was like it was written for Sakura. Like it was written based on her life.

She turned to Syaoran and smiled bashfully, then leaned in and brushed her lips with his. Without explaining her intentions, she slipped past him and ran toward the stage to take the mic. She rushed over to the DJ and whispered the song name into his ear. He smiled at her and nodded, scrolling through his music to find it.

Sakura took her spot in the centre of the stage. She heard Eriol wolf-whistle to her as the music began to play, making her blush hard. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, letting the lyrics flow into her head. And when she opened her mouth, the words just flowed out naturally.

_Check it out  
Going out  
On the late night  
Looking tight  
Feeling nice  
It's a cock fight  
I can tell  
I just know  
That it's going down  
Tonight  
At the door we don't wait 'cause we know them  
At the bar six shots just beginning  
That's when dick-head put his hands on me  
But you see_

_I'm not here for your entertainment  
You don't really wanna mess with me tonight  
Just stop and take a second  
I was fine before you walked into my life  
Cause you know it's over  
Before it began  
Keep your drink, just gimme the money  
It's just you and your hand tonight_

As she did the few '_Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh_'s in between the next set of lyrics, she began feeling freer. She began shaking her hips a bit, a smirk on her face as she looked around the room. She couldn't see her friend's expressions, since the bright stage lights were blinding her vision. But she could hear Tomoyo cheering her on, as well as the whistles from the audience.

She continued with ten times the enthusiasm, feeling herself completely lose herself to the song and lyrics.

_Midnight  
I'm drunk  
I don't give a fuck  
Wanna dance  
By myself  
Guess you're outta luck  
Don't touch  
Back up  
I'm not the one  
by-bye  
Listen up, it's just not happening  
You can say what you want to your boyfriends  
Just let me have my fun tonight-aight_

_I'm not here for your entertainment  
You don't really wanna mess with me tonight  
Just stop and take a second  
I was fine before you walked into my life  
Cause you know it's over  
Before it began  
Keep your drink, just gimme the money  
It's just you and your hand tonight_

She began walking toward the stage steps, earning some whooping from some men in the audience. She simply rolled her eyes.

_Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh  
Break break break  
Break it down_

_In the corner with your boys you bet up five bucks  
To get at the girl that just walked in but she thinks you suck  
We didn't get all dressed up just for you to see  
So quit spilling your drinks on me yeah_

By now she was off the stage and walking through the crowd, swinging her hips seductively as she walked toward her table. When she felt someone grab her ass, she gasped and turned around murderously. Then she smirked, realizing the next set of lyrics, and turned around to face him. He smiled sickly, but Sakura didn't give him what he wanted; she leaned in and began poking his chest with her finger angrily.

_You know who you are  
High five and talkin' shit, but you're going home alone arentcha?_

Then she stopped, smirking at the man's wide opened mouth, and continued her way to Syaoran and them.

_'Cause I'm not here for your entertainment (No)  
You don't really want to mess with me tonight  
Just stop and take a second (Just stop and take a second)  
I was fine before you walked into my life  
Cause you know it's over (Know it's over)  
Before it began  
Keep your drink just give me the money  
It's just you and your hand tonight (It's just you and your hand)_

Then she was at their table. She stood in front of Syaoran, a seductive smile on her face as she swayed her hips in front of him. He had his mouth hung open, his eyes wide. Her smile grew wider as she spun around away from Syaoran and sang to the audience, taking turns pointing to the different men.

_I'm not here for your entertainment (No no no)  
You don't really want to mess with me tonight  
Just stop and take a second (Just take a second)  
I was fine before you walked into my life  
Cause you know it's over  
Before it began  
Keep your drink just gimme the money  
It's just you and your hand tonight_

She spun back around as the song hit it's final beats and straddled Syaoran. She smirked and threw her arms around his neck, receiving multiple reactions from the crowd, including Eriol who was whistling and clapping like a maniac. Her breathing was harsh from it all.

She crushed her lips to his, then pulled away before it got too rough and placed her mouth near his ear. "Except for you, of course. I won't leave you with your hand."

Syaoran gave a small groan, feeling himself harden slightly. Sakura pulled away with a content smile, obviously pleased with her overly well-done performance.

Tomoyo giggled and reached over to take the mic from Sakura's hand, then rushed up to the stage and began singing 'Love Song' by Taylor Swift, capturing Eriol's attention completely.

Syaoran turned to Sakura, and knew what he had to do. He suddenly felt nervous and had to clear his throat to stop himself from letting his voice crack. He turned to Eriol, "Oi, mind if we leave for a bit?"

Eriol turned to him, seeming almost annoyed for having his attention pried away from Tomoyo. But then his eyes lit up and he nodded, a grin coming onto his face. "Yeah, of course."

Sakura frowned, not missing the wink Eriol have to Syaoran. She looked back to ask but Syaoran was already shifting her off his lap, giving her no time to ask. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door. Once outside, he looked around and smiled when he saw a small park across the street, emptied. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her to the patch of grass.

Once there, ignoring her confused stare, he let her go and laid down. He reached up and tugged on her jeans, silently asking her to join him. Still confused, she did, and leaned into his side with her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

He looked up at the sky and sighed, a large but nervous smile coming onto his lips. "Wow, it's beautiful."

Sakura looked up and felt her eyes widen on the millions of small, glowing dots in the sky. It was a perfectly clear, warm night, letting her see stars stretching for miles across the dark sky.

"Yeah," she sighed, snuggling into him with a smile. "It's absolutely gorgeous."

Then Syaoran sighed and closed his eyes, resting his lips atop of her head to let himself inhale all of her floral scents. He spoke into her hair, "I kinda envy them though."

"The stars?" Sakura asked, her eyebrows furrowing with deep confusion. "Why's that?"

"They have so long to be up there," he explained. "Thousands if not millions of years. It's thousands of lifetimes. Giving them forever to be with the one they want."

Sakura giggled, "Syaoran, but they're just stars! They can't feel. They're simply...there."

"Forever," he said softly, then sighed. His heart was pounding a hundred times faster then normal, and he was almost sure Sakura could feel his nervousness. Finally, he pulled away from Sakura to let her lay on the ground instead of him. He leaned over her, laying beside her but keeping an arm on either side of her to have their faces nearly levelled.

He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers briefly, then closed his eyes and rested his forehead lightly on top of hers.

"I love you, Sakura Kinomoto," he whispered gently.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, closing her eyes as well.

"Marry me."

Sakura froze, her eyelids flying open. She stared up at Syaoran, his eyes still firmly shut. She held her breath, waiting for him to laugh and tell her it was a joke. But it wasn't. It was clear in his face; the way he also held his breath. He was being serious.

"Yes," she whispered back.

She felt Syaoran let out the breath he had been holding, and saw him smile. He opened his eyes, now glistening with pure bliss, before he leaned down and captured her lips. Then he bounced up and held out his hand with excitement, helping Sakura to her feet.

"Okay," he chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "That wasn't how I planned it. It was...wow, I kinda just blurted it out, huh?"

"No," Sakura smiled, "it was sweet. Perfect."

His eyes sparkled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, navy blue velvet box. He heard Sakura's deep intake of breath; she obviously hadn't anticipated a ring already.

"Still, let me do this right," he told her.

She simply nodded, her eyes simply glued on him as he knelt on one knee in front of her. He reached for her hand and held it lovingly.

"Sakura Kinomoto, I've loved you all my life," he began, earning a deep blush from the both of them. "I know I've done wrong, and yet you've let me back into your life. I can't thank the Gods enough for that chance, because I love you. I've always loved you, and I always will. It'll always be you and only you. So I ask you, please Sakura, will you marry me?"

Sakura swallowed her tears and nodded, "Yes. Yes, _yes_, _**yes**_!"

Syaoran smiled widely and slid the small engagement ring onto her finger, forever telling the world that she was his and his alone. He kept her hand in his and brought the back of her hand to his lips, then moved his lips to kiss the ring with a large smile.

And then, he felt her shudder. He frowned and looked up to see Sakura crying. Actually crying!

He jumped to his feet, panic seizing his body. He grabbed both of her hands and squeezed them, trying to meet her eyes as she cried. "Sakura...Sakura, sweetheart, why are you crying?"

"No, no, I'm happy," she promised, forcing a smile. Then she looked away timidly, a nervous laugh escaping her. "It's just...I-I have to tell you something too."

Syaoran frowned, "Well what is it?"

She looked back and forced a smile, stopping her tears. She squeezed his hands back, then uncurled them from around her hands and pulled his hands to her stomach. She placed her hands on top of his, so his palms were down on her stomach. She smiled, seeing Syaoran frown in confusion.

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" He asked again, not understanding.

"What I want to say is," she drew in a deep, shaky breath, "that...that we better plan this wedding for soon. Before I get...bigger."

Syaoran continued to frown for a moment, and then, as if a light-bulb went off, his eyes widened. His mouth gaped open, and then shut like an idiot. His gaze darted from Sakura to his hands on her stomach, and then back to Sakura.

"A...A b-baby?" He asked quietly. Sakura blushed and slowly nodded. "B-B-But we were being so careful!"

"Not careful enough," she said slyly. When his expression didn't change, she suddenly worried. "Are you...Are you angry?"

He shook his head, snapping out of it. "No! No, I'm not. Of course not. I'm just...shocked."

And then, after a minute, his face lit up. A new glint shone in his eyes and his smile grew. He knelt down in front of her and, without warning, slowly slid up her shirt to reveal her perfectly flat stomach. Ignoring the wild blush that ran down her body, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her stomach for a moment.

"A baby," he sighed, smiling, against her skin.

Sakura smiled as well, and began to lightly run her fingers through his hair. "A baby."

And it was at that moment, and that moment alone, that both felt completely at peace. That both knew that no matter what happened, whatever got in their way, that they'd break through anything. That everything would always be alright. No matter how difficult, they would.

Because they had each other.

His angel and her saviour.

Forever.

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Author's Note: Well, everyone, this is it ^.^ 'tis the end! I hope this didn't ruin the story. I was very iffy on how I left this off, with the pregnancy and all. I knew that they'd get engaged, but I was really unsure about the baby. So hopefully that's alright with you all...

PLEASE review!! They're seriously like air to me!

_Oh ^.- and remember to go onto my profile and answer my poll; should I make a sequel or not? Please tell me! I'll wait a week for the answers, and then post a quick A/N on here to tell you if I'm going through with it. If I am, the first chapter should be up in a week. So please put me under 'author alert'!!!!_

_Thank you everyone for your kind reviews, story-alerts and support through my first fanfic! It means the world to me, and seriously were the highlights to my days sometimes. I can't express my gratitude and thanks enough! If I could give you all a hug, I seriously would!_

**_THANK YOU!_**

**_XoX - Riva_**


	13. HER RISING SAVIOUR

Hey everyone!!! Go to my profile to check out the sequel, "Her Rising Saviour"!! Sorry for the lateness (see note at bottom of first chapter)

So what are you waiting for?! Go read it! (Please and thank you ^.^)

XoX ... Riva


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